University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

From  the  Collection  of 
JOSEPH  Z.  TODD 

Gift  of 
Hatherly  B.  Todd 


<~ — 


<iu.\xn  FALLS  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE  AND  OLD   FArnmi.  (IKYSKU. 


THE 


Yellowstone  National  Park 


HISTORICAL   AND    DESCRIPTIVE 


Illustrated  with  Maps,  Views  and  Portraits 


BY 

HIRAM  MARTIN  CHITTENDEN 

CAPTAIN,  CORPS  OF  ENGINEERS,  UNITED  STATES  ARMY 


CINCINNATI 

THE    ROBERT    CLARKE   COMPANY 
1895 


COPYRIGHT,  1895, 
BY  HIRAM  MARTIN  CHITTENDEN. 


TO    THE    MEMORIES    OF 


AND 

games 

PIONEERS   IN   THE    WONDERLAND 

OF  THE 

Hello  ro*t«mi?. 


PREFACE, 


Twenty -five  years  ago,  this  date,  a  company  of  gen- 
tlemen were  encamped  at  the  Forks  of  the  Madison 
River  in  what  is  now  the  Yellowstone  National  Park. 
They  had  just  finished  the  first  complete  tour  of  explor- 
ation ever  made  of  that  region.  Fully  realizing  the  im- 
portance of  all  they  had  seen,  they  asked  what  ought 
to  be  done  to  preserve  so  unique  an  assemblage  of 
wonders  to  the  uses  for  which  Nature  had  evidently 
designed  them.  It  required  no  argument  to  show 
that  government  protection  alone  was  equal  to  the 
task,  and  it  was  agreed  that  a  movement  to  secure 
such  protection  should  be  inaugurated  at  once.  So 
rapidly  did  events  develop  along  the  line  of  this  idea, 
that  within  the  next  eighteen  months  the  "Act  of 
Dedication  "  had  become  a  law,  and  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park  took  its  place  in  our  country's  history. 

The  widespread  interest  which  the  discovery  of  this 
region  created  among  civilized  peoples  has  in  no  de- 
gree diminished  with  the  lapse  of  time.  In  this  coun- 
try particularly  the  Park  to-day  stands  on  a  firmer 
basis  than  ever  before.  The  events  of  the  past  two 

(v) 


VI  PREFACE. 

years,  in  matters  of  legislation  and  administration, 
have  increased  many  fold  the  assurances  of  its  con- 
tinued preservation,  and  have  shown  that  even  the 
petty  local  hostility,  which  has  now  and  then  men- 
aced its  existence,  is  yielding  to  a  wiser  spirit  of 
patriotism. 

The  time  therefore  seems  opportune,  in  passing  so 
important  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  Park,  and 
while  many  of  the  actors  in  its  earlier  scenes  are  still 
among  us,  to  collect  the  essential  facts,  historical  and 
descriptive,  relating  to  this  region,  and  to  place  them 
in  form  for  permanent  preservation.  The  present  lit- 
erature of  the  Park,  although  broad  in  scope  and  ex- 
haustive in  detail,  is  unfortunately  widely  scattered, 
somewhat  difficult  of  access,  and  in  matters  of  early 
history,  notably  deficient.  To  supply  a  work  which 
shall  form  a  complete  and  connected  treatment  of  the 
subject,  is  the  purpose  of  the  present  volume. 

It  deals  first  and  principally  with  the  history  of  the 
Upper  Yellowstone  from  the  days  of  Lewis  and  Clark 
to  the  present  time.  The  main  text  is  supplemented 
by  a  considerable  amount  of  appendical  matter,  the 
most  important  features  of  which  are  a  complete  list 
of  the  geographical  names  of  the  Park,  with  their 
origin  and  signification  ;  a  few  biographical  sketches 
of  the  early  explorers ;  and  a  bibliography  of  the  lit- 
erature pertaining  to  this  region. 

The  descriptive  portion  of  the  work  contains  a  sue- 


PREFACE.  Vll 

cinct,  though  comprehensive,  treatment  of  the  various 
scientific  and  popular  features  of  the  Park.  While  it 
is  sufficient  for  all  the  requirements  of  ordinary  in- 
formation, it  purposely  refrains  from  a  minute  discus- 
sion of  those  details  which  have  been,  or  are  now 
being,  exhaustively  treated  by  the  scientific  depart- 
ments of  the  government. 

In  describing  a  region  whose  fame  rests  upon  its 
natural  wonders,  the  assistance  of  the  illustrative  art 
has  naturally  been  resorted  to.  The  various  accom- 
panying maps  have  all  been  prepared  especially  for 
this  work  and  are  intended  to  set  forth  not  only  pres- 
ent geography  but  historical  features  as  well.  The 
folded  map  embodies  every  tiling  to  date  from  the 
latest  geographical  surveys.  It  will  bear  careful  study, 
and  this  has  been  greatly  simplified  by  a  system  of 
marginal  references  to  be  used  with  the  list  of  names 
in  Appendix  A. 

The  illustrations  cover  every  variety  of  subject  in 
the  Park  and  represent  the  best  results  of  photographic 
work  in  that  region.  They  are  mostly  from  the  studio 
of  Mr.  F.  J.  Haynes,  of  St.  Paul,  the  well-known 
Park  photographer,  who  has  done  so  much  by  his  art 
to  disseminate  a  knowledge  of  the  woudera  of  the 
Yellowstone.  A  considerable  number  are  from  views 
taken  during  the  Hayden  surveys  by  Mr.  William  II. 
Jackson,  now  of  Denver,  Colorado.  A  few  excellent 
subjects  are  from  the  amateur  work  of  Captain  C.  M. 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

Gandy,  Assistant  Surgeon,  U.  S.  A.,  who  was  stationed 
for  some  year's  on  duty  in  the  Park.  The  portraits 
are  restricted  to  the  few  early  explorers  who  visited 
the  Upper  Yellowstone  prior  to  the  creation  of  the 
Park. 

To  any  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  recent  history 
of  the  Pai*k,  a  work  like  the  present  would  seem  in- 
(fbmplete  without  some  reference  to  those  influences 
which  endanger  its  future  existence.  A  brief  discus- 
sion of  this  subject  is  accordingly  presented,  which, 
without  considering  particular  schemes,  exposes  the 
dangerous  tendencies  underlying  them  all. 

In  the  course  of  a  somewhat  extended  correspond- 
ence connected  with  the  preparation  of  this  work,  the 
author  has  become  indebted  for  much  information 
that  could  not  be  found  in  the  existing  literature  of 
the  Park.  He  desires  in  this  place  to  return  his 
sincere  acknowledgments  to  all  who  have  assisted 
him,  and  to  refer  in  a  special  manner 

To  the  Hon.  K  P.  Langford,  of  St.  Paul,  whose 
long  acquaintance  with  the  Upper  Yellowstone  coun- 
try has  made  him  an  authority  upon  its  history. 

To  Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  who 
has  contributed,  besides  much  general  assistance,  the 
essential  facts  relating  to  the  name  "  Yellowstone." 

To  Captain  George  S.  Anderson,  6th  U.  S.  Cavalry, 
Superintendent  of  the  Park,  for  the  use  of  his  ex- 
tensive collection  of  Park  literature. 


PREFACE.  IX 

To  Prof.  Arnold  Hague,  and  others,  of  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  for  many  important  favors. 

To  Prof.  J.  D.  Butler,  of  Madisou,  Wis.,  for  bio- 
graphical data  relating  to  James  Bridger. 

To  Dr.  R.  Ellsworth  Call,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for 
valuable  assistance  pertaining  to  the  entire  work. 

To  the  Hon.  D.  M.  Browning,  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs,  for  important  data  relating  to  the 
Indian  tribes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Yellowstone  Park. 

To  the  officers  of  the  War  and  Interior  Depart- 
ments, the  U.  S.  Fish  Commission,  the  U.  S.  Bureau 
of  Ethnology,  and  of  the  U.  S.  Coast  and  Geodetic 
Survey,  for  public  documents  and  other  information 
of  great  value. 

To  R.  T.  Durrett,  LL.D.,  of  Louisville,  Ky.;  Mr. 
J.  G.  Morrison,  of  the  Library  of  Congress,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.;  Mr.  J.  D.  Losecamp,  of  Billings,  Mont.; 
Mr.  George  Bird  Grinnell,  of  Forest  and  Stream.,  New 
York  City ;  Major  James  F.  Gregory,  Corps  of  En- 
gineers, U.  S.  A.;  Lieutenant  Wm.  II.  Bean,  Second 
Cavalry,  U.  S.  A.;  Hon.  David  E.  Folsom,  White 
Sulphur  Springs,  Mont.;  Washington  Mathews,  Ma- 
jor and  Surgeon,  U.  S.  A.;  Dr.  A.  C.  Peale,  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.;  William  Hallett  Phillips,  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.;  Dr.  Lyman  B.  Sperry,  of  Bellevue,  O.; 
Mrs.  Matilda  Cope  Stevenson,  of  Washington,  D.  C.; 
Mrs.  Sirena  J.  Washburn,  of  Greencastle,  Ind.;  Miss 
Isabel  Jelke,  of  Cincinnati,  O.;  Mr.  O.  B.  Wheeler, 


XI 1  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. — Flora  of  the  Yellowstone 187 

CHAPTER  VIII.— The  Park  as  a  Health  Resort 193 

CHAPTER  IX.— The  Park  in  Winter 198 

CHAPTER  X. — Roads,  Hotels,  and  Transportation 201 

CHAPTER  XI. — Administration  of  the  Park 206 

CHAPTER  XII. — A.  Tour  of  the  Park — Preliminary 209 

CHAPTER  XIII. — A  Tour  of  the  Park — North  Boundary  to 

Mammoth  Hot  Springs 211 

CHAPTER  XIV. — A  Tour  of  the  Park — Mammoth  Hot  Springs 

to  Norris  Geyser  Basin 217 

CHAPTER  XV.—  A  Tour  of  the  Park — Norris  Geyser  Basin  to 

Lower  Geyser  Basin 221 

CHAPTER  XVI. — A  Tour  of  the  Park — Lower  Geyser  Basin 

to  Upper  Geyser  Basin 228 

CHAPTER  XVII. — A  Tour  of  the  Park — Upper  Geyser  Basin 

to  Yellowstone  Lake 237 

CHAPTER  XVIII. — A  Tour  of  the  Park — Yellowstone  Lake  to 

the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone 248 

CHAPTER  XIX. — A  Tour  of  the  Park — Grand  Canon  of  the 

Yellowstone  to  Junction  Valley 260 

PART  III.— THE  FUTURE. 

CHAPTER  I. — Hostility  to  the  Park 267 

CHAPTER  II. — Railroad  Encroachment  and  Change  of  Bound- 
ary   270 

CHAPTER  III. — Conclusion 281 

APPENDIX  A. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  NAMES  IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK..  285 

I.— Introductory 285 

II. — Mountain  Peaks 289 

III.— Streams 313 

IV.— Water-falls...  .  324 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

V.— Lakes 327 

VI. — Miscellaneous  Features 338 

VII.— Geysers 342 

APPENDIX  B. 

LEGISLATION  AND  REGULATIONS  NOW  IN  FORCE  ..FFECTING  THE 

YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK 345 

APPENDIX  C. 

APPROPRIATIONS  ON  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL 

PARK 357 

APPENDIX  D. 

LIST  OF  SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL 

PARK 359 

APPENDIX  E. 
BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK 361 


The  Yellowstone  National  Park. 


PART    I.— Historical. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  YELLOWSTONE." 

Lewis  and  Clark  passed  the  first  winter  of  their 
famous  trans-continental  expedition  among  the  Man- 
dan  Indians,  on  the  Missouri  River,  sixty-six  miles 
above  the  present  capital  of  North  Dakota.  When 
ahout  to  resume  their  journey  in  the  spring  of  1805, 
they  sent  back  to  President  Jefferson  a  report  of 
progress  and  a  map  of  the  western  country  based 
upon  information  derived  from  the  Indians.  In  this 
report  and  upon  this  map  appear  for  the  first  time, 
in  any  official  document,  the  words  "  Yellow  Stone  " 
as  the  name  of  the  principal  tributary  of  the  Mis- 
souri. 

It  seems,  however,  that  Lewis  and  Clark  were  not 
the  first  actually  to  use  the  name.  David  Thompson, 
the  celebrated  explorer  and  geographer,  prominently 
identified  with  the  British  fur  trade  in  the  North- 
west, was  among  the  Mandan  Indians  on  the  Mis- 
souri River  from  December  29,  1797,  to  January  10, 
1798.  While  there  he  secured  data,  mostly  from  the 
natives,  from  which  he  estimated  the  latitude  and 

(l) 


2  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

longitude  of  the  source  of  the  Yellowstone  River.  In 
his  original  manuscript  journal  and  field  note-books, 
containing  the  record  of  his  determinations,  the  words 
"  Yellow  Stone  "  appear  precisely  as  used  by  Lewis 
and  dark  in  1805.  This  is,  perhaps,  the  first  use  of 
the  name  in  its  Anglicised  form,  and  it  is  certainly 
the  first  attempt  to  determine  accurately  the  geo- 
graphical location  of  the  source  of  the  stream.* 

Neither  Thompson  nor  Lewis  and  Clark  were 
originators  of  the  name.  They  gave  us  only  the 
English  translation  of  a  name  already  long  in  use. 
"This  river,"  say  Lewis  and  Clark,  in  their  journal 
for  the  day  of  their  arrival  at  the  mouth  of  the  now 
noted  stream,  "  had  been  known  to  the  French  as  the 
Roche  Jaune,  or,  as  we  have  called  it,  the  Yellow 
Stone."  The  French  name  was,  in  fact,  already 
firmly  established  among  the  traders  and  trappers  of 
the  North-west  Fur  Company,  when  Lewis  and  Clark 
met  them  among  the  Mandans.  Even  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  expedition  it  seems  to  have  been  more 
generally  used  than  the  new  English  form ;  and  the 
spellings, "  Rejone,"  "  Rejhone,"  "  Rochejone,"  "Roche- 
john,"  and  "  Rochejhone,"  are  among  their  various 
attempts  to  render  orthographically  the  French  pro- 
nunciation. 


*  Thompson's  estimate : 

Latitude,  43°  39'  45"  north. 

Longitude,  109°  43'  17"  west. 
Yount    Peak,  source  of  the  Yellowstone  (Hayden) : 

Latitude,  43°  57'  north. 

Longitude,  109°  52X  west. 
Thompson's  error: 

In  latitude,  17'  15". 

In  longitude,  8'  43",  or  about  21  miles. 


"  YELLOWSTONE."  3 

Probably  the  name  would  have  been  adopted  un- 
changed, as  so  many  other  French  names  in  our 
geography  have  been,  except  for  the  recent  cession 
of  Louisiana  to  the  United  States.  The  policy  which 
led  the  government  promptly  to  explore,  and  take 
formal  possession  of,  its  extensive  acquisition,  led  it 
also,  as  part  of  the  process  of  rapid  Americanization, 
to  give  English  names  to  all  of  the  more  prominent 
geographical  features.  In  the  case  of  the  name  here 
under  consideration,  this  was  no  easy  matter.  The 
French  form  had  already  obtained  wide  currency,  and 
it  was  reluctantly  set  aside  for  its  less  familiar  trans- 
lation. As  late  as  1817,  it  still  appeared  in  newly 
English-printed  books,*  while  among  the  traders  and 
trappers  of  the  mountains,  it  survived  to  a  much  later 
period.- 

By  whom  the  name  Roche  Jaune,  or  its  equivalent 
form  Pierre  Jaune,  was  first  used,  it  would  be  ex- 
tremely interesting  to  know;  but  it  is  impossible  to 
determine  at  this  late  day.  Like  their  successor, 
"  Yellow  Stone,"  these  names  were  not  originals,  but 
only  translations.  The  Indian  tribes  along  the  Yel- 
lowstone and  upper  Missouri  rivers  had  names  for  the 
tributary  stream  signifying  "  yellow  rock,"  f  and  the 
French  had  doubtless  adopted  them  long  before  any 
of  their  number  saw  the  stream  itself. 

The  first  explorations  of  the  country  comprised 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  State  of  Montana  are 
matters  of  great  historic  uncertainty.  By  one  account 
it  appears  that,  between  the  years  1738  and  1753, 

*  Bradbury's- "  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  America."     See  Ap- 
pendix E. 
t  The  name  "  Elk  River  "  was  also  used  among  the  Crow  Indians. 


4  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Pierre  Gaultier  de  Varennes,  the  Sieur  de  la  Veren- 
drye,. and  his  sons,  particularly  the  Chevalier  de  la 
Verendrye,  conducted  parties  of  explorers  westward 
from  Lake  Superior  to  the  Assinnaboine  River,  thence 
south  to  the  Mandan  country,  and  thence  to  the  very 
sources  of  the  Missouri.  Even  the  date,  January  12, 
1743,  is  given  for  their  first  ascent  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  But  such  is  the  dearth  of  satisfactory 
evidence  relating  to  these  explorations,  that  positive 
inferences  concerning  them  are  impossible.  The 
most  that  can  be  said  is,  that  if  De  la  Verendrye 
visited  these  regions,  as  is  generally  believed,  to  him 
doubtless  belongs  the  honor  of  having  adopted  from 
original  sources  the  name  of  the  Yellowstone  River. 

The  goal  of  De  la  Verendrye' s  explorations  was  the 
Pacific  Ocean ;  but  the  French  and  Indian  war  which 
robbed  France  of  her  dominion  in  America,  prevented 
his  ever  reaching  it.  Following  him,  at  the  distance 
of  nearly  half  a  century,  came  the  traders  and  trap- 
pers of  the  North-west  Fur  Company.  As  already 
noted,  they  were  among  the  Mandans  as  early  as  1797, 
and  the  name  Roche  Jaune  was  in  common  use  among 
them  in  1804.  They  appear  to  have  been  wholly  ig- 
norant of  the  work  of  De  la  Verendrye,  and  it  is- 
quite  certain  that,  prior  to  1805,  none  of  them  had 
reached  the  Yellowstone  River.  Lewis  and  Clark 
particularly  record  the  fact,  while  yet  some  distance 
below  the  junction  of  this  river  with  the  Missouri, 
that  they  had  already  passed  the  utmost  limit  of  pre- 
vious adventure  by  white  men.  Whatever,  therefore, 
was  at  this  time  known  of  the  Yellowstone  could 
have  come  to  these  traders  only  from  Indian  sources.5*1 

*  An  interesting  reference  to  the  name  "  Yellowstone,"  ui  an. 


"  YELLOWSTONE.  O 

We  thus  find  that  the  name,  which  has  now  become 
so  celebrated,  descends  to  us,  through  two  transla- 
tions, from  those  native  races  whose  immemorial 
dwelling-place  had  been  along  the  stream  which  it 
describes.  What  it  was  that  led  them  to  use  the 
name  is  easily  discoverable.  The  Yellowstone  River 
is  pre-eminently  a  river  with  banks  of  yellow  rock. 
Along  its  lower  course  "  the  flood  plain  is  bordered 
by  high  bluffs  of  yellow  sandstone."  Near  the  mouth 
of  the  Bighorn  River  stands  the  noted  landmark, 
Pompey's  Pillar,  "  a  high  isolated  rock  "  of  the  same 
material.  Still  further  up,  beyond  the  mouth  of 
Clark's  fork,  is  an  extensive  ridge  of  yellow  rock,  the 
"  sheer,  vertical  sides "  of  which,  according  to  one 
writer,  "  gleam  in  the  sunlight  like  massive  gold." 
All  along  the  lower  river,  in  fact,  from  its  mouth  to 


entirely  different  quarter,  occurs  on  Pike's'map  of  the  "  Internal 
Provinces  of  Spain,"  published  in  1810.  It  is  a  corrupt  Spanish 
translation  in  the  form  of  "Rio  de  Piedro  Amaretto  del  Missouri" 
(intended  of  course  to  be  Rio  de  la  Piedra  Amarilla  del  Missouri) 
river  of  the  Yellow  Stone  of  the  Missouri.  No  clue  has  been  dis- 
covered of  the  source  from  which  Pike  received  this  name ;  but 
the  fact  of  its  existence  need  occasion  no  surprise.  The  Spanish 
had  long  traded  as  far  north  as  the  Shoshone  country,  and  had 
mingled  with  the  French  traders  along  the  lower  Missouri.  Lewis 
and  Clark  found  articles  of  their  manufacture  among  the  Sho- 
shones  in  1805.  There  is  also  limited  evidence  of  early  intercourse 
between  them  and  the  Crow  nation.  That  the  name  of  so  im- 
portant a  stream  as  the  Yellowstone  should  have  become  known 
to  these  traders  is  therefore  not  at  all  remarkable.  There  is;  how- 
ever, no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  Spanish  translation  antedates 
the  French.  It  certainly  plays  no  part  in  the  descent  of  the  name 
from  the  original  to  the  English  form,  and  it  is  of  interest  in  this 
connection  mainly  as  showing  that,  even  at  this  early  day,  the 
name  had  found  its  way  to  the  provinces  of  the  south. 


6  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

the  Great  Bend  at  Livingston,  this  characteristic  is 
more  or  less  strikingly  present. 

Whether  it  forms  a  sufficiently  prominent  feature  of 
the  landscape  to  justify  christening  the  river  from  it, 
may  appear  to  be  open  to  doubt.  At  any  rate  the 
various  descriptions  of  this  valley  by  early  explorers 
rarely  refer  to  the  same  locality  as  being  conspicuous 
from  the  presence  of  yellow  rock.  Some  mention  it 
in  one  place,  some  in  another.  Nowhere  does  it  seem 
to  have  been  so  striking  as  to  attract  the  attention  of 
all  observers.  For  this  reason  we  shall  go  further  in 
search  of  the  true  origin  of  the  name,  to  a  locality 
about  which  there  can  be  no  doubt,  no  difference  of 
opinion. 

Seventy -five  miles  below  the  ultimate  source  of  the 
river  lies  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone,  dis- 
tinguished among  the  notable  canons  of  the  globe  by 
the  marvelous  coloring  of  its  walls.  Conspicuous 
among  its  innumerable  tints  is  yellow.  •  Every  shade, 
from  the  brilliant  plumage  of  the  yellow  bird  to  the 
rich  saffron  of  the  orange,  greets  the  eye  in  bewilder- 
ing profusion.  There  is  indeed  other  color,  unparal- 
leled in  variety  and  abundance,  but  the  ever-present 
background  of  all  is  the  beautiful  fifth  color  of  the 
spectrum. 

So  prominent  is  this  feature  that  it  never  fails  to 
attract  attention,  and  all  descriptions  of  the  Canon 
abound  in  references  to  it.  Lieutenant  Doane  (1870) 
notes  the  "brilliant  yellow  color"  of  the  rocks.  Cap- 
tain Barlow  and  Doctor  Hayden  (1871)  refer,  in  almost 
the  same  words,  to  the  "  yellow,  nearly  vertical  walls." 
Raymond  (1871)  speaks  of  the  "bright  yellow  of  the 
sulphury  clay."  Captain  Jones  (1873)  says  that  "  about 


"  YELLOWSTONE."  7 

and  in  the  Grand  Canon  the  rocks  are  nearly  all  tinged 
a  brilliant  yellow."  These  early  impressions  might  be 
repeated  from  the  writings  of  every  subsequent  visitor 
who  has  described  the  scenery  of  the  Yellowstone. 

That  a  characteristic  which  so  deeply  moves  the 
modern  heholder  should  have  made  a  profound  im- 
pression on  the  mind  of  the  Indian,  need  hardly  be 
premised.  This  region  was  hy  no  means  unknown  to 
him;  and  from  the  remote,  although  uncertain, period 
of  his  first  acquaintance  with  it,  the  name  of  the  river 
has  undoubtly  descended. 

Going  back,  then,  to  this  obscure  fountain-head,  the 
original  designation  is  found  to  have  been 

Mi  tsi  a-da-zi*  Rock  Yellow  River. 

And  this,  in  the  French  tongue,  became 

Roche  Jaune  and  Pierre  Jaune ; 

and  in  English, 

Yellow  Rock  and  Yellow  Stone. 

Established  usage  now  writes  it 
Yellowstone. 

*  Minnetaree,  oue  of  the  Siouan  family  of  languages. 


THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER  II. 

INDIAN    OCCUPANCY    OF    THE    UPPER    YELLOWSTONE. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  in  the  history  of  the  Yellow- 
stone National  Park  that  no  knowledge  of  that  country 
seems  to  have  been  derived  from  the  Indians.  The  ex- 
planation ordinarily  advanced  is  that  the  Indians  had 
a  superstitious  fear  of  the  geyser  regions  and  always 
avoided  them.  Ho  w  far  this  theory  is  supported  by  the 
results  of  modern  research  is  an  interesting  inquiry. 

Three  great  families  of  Indians,  the  Siouan,  the  Al- 
gonquian,  and  the  Shoshonean,  originally  occupied  the 
country  around  the  sources  of  the  Yellowstone.  Of 
these  three  families  the  following  tribes  are  alone  of 
interest  in  this  connection  :  The  Crows  (Absaroka)  of 
the  Siouan  family  ;  the  Blackfeet  (Siksika)  of  the  Al- 
gonquian  family ;  and  the  Bannocks  (Panai'hti),  the 
Eastern  Shoshones,  and  the  Sheepeaters  (Tukuarika) 
of  the  Shoshonean  family. 

The  home  of  the  Crows  was  in  the  Valley  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone below  the  mountains  where  they  have  dwelt 
since  the  white  man's  earliest  knowledge  of  them.  Their 
territory  extended  to  the  mountains  which  bound  the 
Yellowstone  Park  on  the  north  and  east ;  but  they 
never  occupied  or  claimed  any  of  the  country  beyond. 
Their  well-known  tribal  characteristics  were  an  insa- 
tiable love  of  horse-stealing  and  a  wandering  and  pred- 
atory habit  which  caused  them  to  roam  over  all  the 
West  from  the  Black  Hills  to  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains 
and  from  the  British  Possessions  to  the  Spanish  Prov- 


INDIAN  OCCUPANCY  OF  THE    UPPER  YELLOWSTONE.          9 

inces.  They  were  generally,  although  by  no  means 
always,  friendly  to  the  whites,  but  enemies  of  the 
neighboring  Blackfeet  and  Shoshones.  Physically, 
they  were  a  stalwart,  handsome  race,  fine  horsemen 
and  daring  hunters.  They  were  every-where  encoun- 
tered by  the  trapper  and  prospector  who  generally 
feared  them  more  on  account  of  their  thievish  habits 
than  for  reasons  of  personal  safety. 

The  Blackfeet  dwelt  in  the  country  drained  by  the 
headwaters  of  the  Missouri.  Their  territory  was 
roughly  defined  by  the  Crow  territory  on  the  east  and 
the  Rocky  Mountains  on  the  west.  Its  southern  limit 
was  the  range  of  mountains  along  the  present  north- 
west border  of  the  Park  and  it  extended  thence  to 
the  British  line.  The  distinguishing  historic  trait  of 
these  Indians  was  their  settled  hostility  to  their  neigh- 
bors whether  white  or  Indian.  They  were  a  tribe 
of  perpetual  fighters,  justly  characterized  as  the  Ish- 
maelites  of  their  race.  From  the  day  in  1806,  when 
Captain  Lewis  slew  one  of  their  number,  down  to 
their  final  subjection  by  the  advancing  power  of  the 
whites,  they  never  buried  the  hatchet.  They  were 
the  terror  of  the  trapper  and  miner,  and  hundreds 
of  the  pioneers  perished  at  their  hands.  Like  the 
Crows  they  were  a  well-developed  race,  good  horse- 
men and  great  rovers,  but,  in  fight,  given  to  subter- 
fuge and  stratagem  rather  than  to  open  boldness  of 
action. 

In  marked  contrast  with  these  warlike  and  wander- 
ing tribes  were  those  of  the  great  Shoshonean  family 
who  occupied  the  country  around  the  southern,  east- 
ern, and  western  borders  of  the  Park,  including  also 
that  of  the  Park  itself.  The  Shoshones  as  a  family 


10  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

were  an  inferior  race.  They  seem  to  have  been  the 
victims  of  some  great  misfortune  which  had  driven 
them  to  precarious  methods  of  subsistence  and  had 
made  them  the  prey  of  their  powerful  and  merciless 
neighbors.  The  names  "  Fish-eaters,"  "  Root-dig- 
gers," and  other  opprobrious  epithets,  indicate  the 
contempt  in  which  they  were  commonly  held.  For 
the  most  part  they  had  no  horses,  and  obtained  a  live- 
lihood only  by  the  most  abject  means.  Some  of  the 
tribes,  however,  rose  above  this  degraded  condition, 
owned  horses,  hunted  buffalo,  and  met  their  enemies 
in  open  conflict..  Such  were  the  Bannocks  and  the 
Eastern  Shoshones — tribes  closely  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  Park,  one  occupying  the  country  to  the 
south-west  near  the  Teton  Mountains,  and  the  other 
that  to  the  south-east  in  the  valley  of  Wind  River. 
The  Shoshones  were  generally  friendly  to  the  whites, 
and  for  this  reason  they  figure  less  prominently  in  the 
books  of  early  adventure  than  do  the  Crows  and 
Blackfeet  whose  acts  of  "  sanguinary  violence"  were 
a  staple  article  for  the  Indian  romancer. 

It  was  an  humble  branch  of  the  Shoshonean  family 
which  alone  is  known  to  have  permanently  occupied 
what  is  now  the  Yellowstone  Park.  They  were  called 
Tukuarika,  or,  more  commonly,  Sheepeaters.  They 
were  found  in  the  Park  country  at  the  time  of  its 
discovery  and  had  doubtless  long  been  there.  These 
hermits  of  the  mountains,  whom  the  French  trappers 
called  "  Us  digues  de  pitie,"  have  engaged  the  sympathy 
or  contempt  of  explorers  since  our  earliest  knowledge 
of  them.  Utterly  unfit  for  warlike  contention,  they 
seem  to  have  sought  immunity  from  their  dangerous 
neighbors  by  dwelling  among  the  inaccessible  fast- 


f-A  HISTORICAL    CHART 

»'-\  or  THE 

LLOWSTONE    NATIONAL 


upp.  page  11. 


INDIAN  OCCUPANCY  OP  THE  UPPER  YELLOWSTONE.        11 

nesses  of  the  mountains.  They  were  destitute  of 
even  savage  comforts.  Their  food,  as  their  name  in- 
dicates, was  principally  the  flesh  of  the  mountain 
sheep.  Their  clothing  was  composed  of  skins.  They- 
had  no  horses  and  were  armed  only  with  bows  and 
arrows.  They  captured  game  by  driving  it  into 
brush  inclosures.  Their  rigorous  existence  left  its 
mark  on  their  physical  nature.  They  were  feeble  in 
mind,  diminutive  in  stature,  and  are  always  described 
as  a  "  timid,  harmless  race."  They  may  have  been 
longer  resident  in  this  region  than  is  commonly  sup- 
posed, for  there  was  a  tradition  among  them,  appar- 
ently connected  with  some  remote  period  of  geological 
disturbance,  that  most  of  their  race  were  once  de- 
stroyed by  a  terrible  convulsion  of  nature. 

Such  were  the  Indian  tribes  who  formerly  dwelt 
within  or  near  the  country  now  embraced  in  the  Yel- 
lowstone National  Park.  That  the  Sheepeaters  ac- 
tually occupied  this  country,  and  that  wandering 
bands  from  other  tribes  occasionally  visited  it,  there 
is  abundant  and  conclusive  proof.  Indian  trails,* 
though  generally  indistinct,  were  every-\vhere  found 
by  the  early  explorers,  mostly  on  lines  since  occupied 
by  the  tourist  routes.  One  of  these  followed  the  Yel- 
lowstone Valley  entirely  across  the  Park  from  north  to 
south.  It  divided  at  Yellowstone  Lake,  the  principal 
branch  following  the  east  shore,  crossing  Two-Ocean- 
Pass,  and  intersecting  a  great  trail  which  connected 
the  Snake  and  "Wind  River  Valleys.  The  other 
branch  passed  along  the  west  shore  of  the  lake  and 
over  the  divide  to  the  valleys  of  Snake  River  and 


*  See  historical  chart,  opposite. 


12  THE    YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

Jackson  Lake.  This  trail  was  intersected  by  an  im- 
portant one  in  the  vicinity  of  Conant  Creek  leading 
from  the  Upper  Snake  Valley  to  that  of  Henry  Fork. 
Other  intersecting  trails  connected  the  Yellowstone 
River  trail  with  the  Madison  and  Firehole  Basins 
on  the  west  and  with  the  Bighorn  Valley  on  the 
-east. 

The  most  important  Indian  trail  in  the  Park,  how- 
ever, was  that  known  as  the  Great  Bannock  Trail. 
It  extended  from  Henry  Lake  across  the  Gallatin 
Range  to  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  where  it  was  joined 
by  another  coming  up  the  valley  of  the  Gardiner. 
Thence  it  led  across  the  Black-tail  Deer  plateau  to 
the  ford  above  Tower  Falls ;  and  thence  up  the  Lamar 
Valley,  forking  at  Soda  Butte,  and  reaching  the  Big- 
horn. Valley  by  way  of  Clark's  Fork  and  the  Stinking- 
water  River.  This  trail  was  certainly  a  very  ancient 
.and  much-traveled  one.  It  had  become  a  deep  furrow 
in  the  grassy  slopes,  and  it  is  still  distinctly  visible  in 
places,  though  unused  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

Additional  evidence  in  the  same  direction  may  be 
seen  in  the  wide-spread  distribution  of  implements 
peculiar  to  Indian  use.  Arrows  and  spear  heads  have 
been  found  in  considerable  numbers.  Obsidian  Clifl' 
was  an  important  quarry,  and  the  open  country  near 
the  outlet  of  Yellowstone  Lake  a  favorite  camping- 
ground.  Certain  implements,  such  as  pipes,  hammers, 
and  stone  vessels,  indicating  the  former  presence  of  a 
more  civilized  people,  have  been  found  to  a  limited 
extent ;  and  some  explorers  have  thought  that  a  sym- 
metrical mound  in  the  valley  of  the  Snake  River,  be- 
low the  mouth  of  Hart  River,  is  of  artificial  origin. 
Reference  will  later  be  made  to  the  discovery  of  a 


INDIAN    OCCUPANCY    OF    THE    UPPER    YELLOWSTONE.     1 

rude  granite  structure  near  the  top  of  the  Grand 
Teton,  which  is  unquestionably  of  very  ancient  date. 

Dr.  A.  C.  Peale,  prominently  connected  with  the 
early  geological  explorations  of  this  region,  states  that 
the  Rustic  Geyser  in  the  Hart  Lake  Geyser  Basin  is 
"  bordered  by  logs  which  are  coated  with  a  crystalline, 
semi-translucent  deposit  of  geyserite.  These  logs 
were  evidently  placed  around  the  geyser  by  either  In- 
dians or  white  men  a  number  of  years  ago,  as  the 
coating  is  thick  and  the  logs  firmly  attached  to  the 
surrounding  deposit/'  * 

More  recent  and  perishable  proofs  of  the  presence 
of  Indians  in  the  Park  were  found  by  the  early  ex- 
plorers in  the  rude  wick-e-ups,  brush  inclosures,  and 
similar  contrivances  of  the  lonely  Sheepeaters ;  and  it 
is  not  improbable  that  many  of  the  arrow  and  spear 
heads  were  the  work  of  these  Indians. 

The  real  question  of  doubt  in  regard  to  Indian  oc- 
cupancy of,  or  visits  to,  the  Park,  is  therefore  not  one 
of  fact,  but  of  degree.  The  Sheepeaters  certainly 
dwelt  there ;  but  as  to  other  tribes,  their  acquaintance 
with  it  seems  to  have  been  very  limited.  No  word  of 
information  about  the  geyser  regions  ever  fell  from 
their  lips,  except  that  the  surrounding  country  was 
known  to.  them  as  the  Burning  Mountains.  "With 
one  or  two  exceptions,  the  old  trails  were  very  indis- 
tinct, requiring  an  experienced  eye  to  distinguish 
them  from  game  trails.  Their  undeveloped  condition 
indicated  infrequent  use.  Old  trappers  who  have 
known  this  region  for  fifty  years  say  that  the  great 

*  Page  298,  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden.  See  Ap- 
pendix E.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  this  was  the  work  of" 
trappers. 


14  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

majority  of  Indians  never  saw  it.  Able  Indian 
guides  in  the  surrounding  country  became  lost  when 
they  entered  the  Park,  and  the  Nez  Perces  were 
forced  to  impress  a  white  man  as  guide  when  they 
crossed  the  Park  in  1877. 

An  unknown  writer,  to  whom  extended  reference 
will  be  made  in  a  later  chapter,  visited  the  Upper 
Geyser  Basin  in  1832,  accompanied  by  two  Pend 
d'Oreilles  Indians.  Neither  of  these  Indians  had  ever 
seen  or  apparently  heard  of  the  geysers,  and  "  were 
quite  appalled  "  at  the  sight  of  them,  believing  them 
to  be  "supernatural"  and  the  "production  of  the 
Evil  Spirit." 

Lieutenant  Doane,  who  commanded  the  military 
escort  to  the  Yellowstone  Expedition  of  1870,  says  in 
his  report  :* 

"Appearances  indicated  that  the  basin  [of  the  Yel- 
lowstone Lake]  had  been  almost  entirely  abandoned 
by  the  sons  of  the  forest.  A  few  lodges  of  Sheepeat- 
ers,  a  branch  remnant  of  the  Snake  tribe,  wretched 
•beasts  who  run  from  the  sight  of  a  white  man,  or 
from  any  other  tribe  of  Indians,  are  said  to  inhabit 
the  fastnesses  of  the.  mountains  around  the  lakes, 
poorly  armed  and  dismounted,  obtaining  a  precarious 
subsistence,  and  in  a  defenseless  condition.  We  saw, 
however,  no  recent  traces  of  them.  The  larger  tribes 
never  enter  the  basin,  restrained  by  superstitious  ideas 
in  connection  with  the  thermal  springs." 

In  1880,  Col.  P.  "W.  Norris,  Second  Superintendent 
of  the  Park,  had  a  long  interview  on  the  shore  of  the 


*  Page  26,    "Yellowstone   Expedition   of    1870."     See    Appen- 
dix E. 


INDIAN    OCCUPANCY    OF    THE    UPPER    YELLOWSTONE.     15 

Yellowstone  Lake  with  We-Saw,  "  an  old  but  remark- 
ably intelligent  Indian  "  of  the  Shoshone  tribe,  who 
was  then  acting  as  guide  to  an  exploring  party  under 
Governor  Hoyt,  of  Wyoming,  and  who  had  previously 
passed  through  the  Park  with  the  expedition  of  1873 
under  Captain  "W.  A.  Jones,  U.  S.  A.  He  had  also 
been  in  the  Park  region  on  former  occasions.  Colonel 
Norris  records  the  following  facts  from  this  Indian's 
conversation  :* 

"  We-Saw  states  that  he  had  neither  knowledge  nor 
tradition  of  any  permanent  occupants  of  the  Park 
save  the  timid  Sheepeaters.  .  .  .  He  said  that 
his  people  (Shoshones)  the  Bannocks  and  the  Crows, 
occasionally  visited  the  Yellowstone  Lake  and  River 
portions  of  the  Park,  but  very  seldom  the  geyser  re- 
gions, which  he  declared  were  '  heap,  heap,  bad,'  and 
never  wintered  there,  as  white  men  sometimes  did 
with  horses." 

It  seems  that  even  the  resident  Sheepeaters  knew 
little  of  the  geyser  basins.  General  Sheridan,  who 
entered  the  Park  from  the  south  in  1882,  makes  this 
record  in  his  report  of  the  expedition  :  f 

"  We  had  with  us  five  Sheep  Eating  Indians  as 
guides,  and,  strange  to  say,  although  these  Indians 
had  lived  for  years  and  years  about  Mounts  Sheridan 
and  Hancock,  and  the  high  mountains  south-east  of 
the  Yellowstone  Lake,  they  knew  nothing  about  the 
Firehole  Geyser  Basin,  and  they  exhibited  more 
astonishment  and  wonder  than  any  of  us." 


*  Page  38,  Annual  Report  of  Superintendent  of  the  Park  for 
1881. 

t  Page  11,  Report  on  Explorations  of  Parts  of  Wyoming,  Idaho 
and  Montana,  1882.  See  Appendix  E. 


16  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Evidence  like  the  foregoing  clearly  indicates  that 
this  country  was  terra  incognita  to  the  vast  body  of 
Indians  who  dwelt  around  it,  and  again  this  singular 
fact  presents  itself  for  explanation.  Was  it,  as  is 
generally  supposed,  a  "  superstitious  fear  "  that  kept 
them  away  ?  The  incidents  just  related  give 
some  color  to  such  a  theory ;  but  if  it  were  really 
true  we  should  expect  to  find  well  authenticated  In- 
dian traditions  of  so  marvelous  a  country.  Unfor- 
tunately history  records  none.  It  is  not  meant  by  this 
to  imply  that  reputed  traditions  concerning  the  Yel- 
lowstone are  unknown.  For  instance,  it  is  related 
that  the  Crows  always  refused  to  tell  the  whites  of 
the  geysers  because  they  believed  that  whoever 
visited  them  became  endowed  with  supernatural 
powers,  and  they  wished  to  retain  a  monopoly  of  this 
knowledge.  But  traditions  of  this  sort,  like  most  In- 
dian curiosities  now  offered  for  sale,  are  evidently  of 
spurious  origin.  Only  in  the  names  "  Yellowstone  " 
and  "  Burning  Mountains  "  do  we  find  any  original 
evidence  that  this  land  of  wonders  appealed  in  the 
least  degree  to  the  native  imagination. 

The  real  explanation  of  this  remarkable  ignorance 
appears  to  us  to  rest  on  grounds  essentially  practical*. 
There  was  nothing  to  induce  the  Indians  to  visit  the 
Park  country.  For  three-fourths  of  the  year  that 
country  is  inaccessible  on  account  of  snow.  It  is 
covered  with  dense  forests,  which  in  most  places  are 
so  filled  with  fallen  timber  and  tangled  underbrush  as 
to  be  practically  impassable.  As  a  game  country  in 
those  early  days  it  could  not  compare  with  the  lower 
surrounding  valleys.  As  a  highway  of  communica- 
tion between  the  valleys  of  the  Missouri,  Snake,  Yel- 


INDIAN    OCCUPANCY    OF    THE    UPPER    YELLOWSTONE.     17 

lowstone,  and  Bighorn  Rivers,  it  was  no  thoroughfare. 
The  great  routes,  except  the  Bannock  trail  already 
described,  lay  on  the  outside.  All  the  conditions, 
therefore,  which  might  attract  the  Indians  to  this  re- 
gion were  wanting.  Even  those  sentimental  influ- 
ences, such  as  a  love  of  sublime  scenery  and  a 
curiosity  to  see  the  strange  freaks  of  nature,  evidently 
had  less  weight  with  them  than  with  their  pale-face 
brethren. 

Summarizing  the  results  of  such  knowledge,  con- 
fessedly meager,  as  exists  upon  this  subject,  it  ap- 
pears : 

(1.)  That  the  country  now  embraced  in  the  Yellow- 
stone National  Park  was  occupied,  at  the  time  of  its 
discovery,  by  small  bands  of  Sheepeater  Indians,  prob- 
ably not  exceeding  in  number  one  hundred  and  fifty 
souls.  They  dwelt  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  "Wash- 
burn  and  Absaroka  Ranges,  and  among  the  mountains 
around  the  sources  of  the  Snake.  They  were  not 
familiar  with  the  geyser  regions. 

(2.)  Wandering  bands  from  other  tribes  occasionally 
visited  this  country,  but  generally  along  the  line  of 
the  Yellowstone  River  or  the  Great  Bannock  Trail. 
Their  knowledge  of  the  geyser  regions  was  extremely 
limited,  and  very  few  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of  them. 
It  is  probable  that  the  Indians  visited  this  country 
more  frequently  in  earlier  times  than  since  the  advent 
of  the  white  man. 

(3.)  The  Indians  avoided  the  region  of  the  Upper 
Yellowstone  from  practical,  rather  than  from  senti- 
mental, considerations. 
2 


18  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

The  legal  processes  by  which  the  vast  territory  of 
these  various  tribes  passed  to  the  United  States,  are  full 
of  incongruities  resulting  from  a  general  ignorance  of  the 
country  in  question.  By  the  Treaty  of  Fort  Laramie, 
dated  September  17,  1851,  between  the  United  States 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Crows,  Blackfeet  and  other 
northern  tribes  on  the  other,  the  Crows  were  given, 
as  part  of  their  territory,  all  that  portion  of  the  Park 
country  which  lies  east  of  the  Yellowstone  River; 
and  the  Blackfeet,  all  that  portion  lying  between  the 
Yellowstone  River  and  the  Continental  Divide.  This 
was  before  any  thing  whatever  was  known  of  the 
country  so  given  away.  None  of  the  Shoshone  tribes 
were  party  to  the  treaty,  and  the  rights  of  the 
Sheepeaters  were  utterly  ignored.  That  neither  the 
Blackfeet  nor  the  Crows  had  any  real  claim  to  these 
extravagant  grants  is  evidenced  by  their  prompt  relin- 
quishment  of  them  in  the  first  subsequent  treaties. 
Thus,  by  treaty  of  October  17,  1855,  the  Blackfeet 
agreed  that  all  of  their  portion  of  the  Park  country, 
with  much  other  territory,  should  be  and  remain  a 
common  hunting  ground  for  certain  designated  tribes ; 
and  by  treaty  of  May  17, 1868,  the  Crows  relinquished 
all  of  their  territory  south  of  the  Montana  boundary 
line. 

That  portion  of  the  Park  country  drained  by  the  Snake 
River  was  always  considered  Shoshone  territory,  al- 
though apparently  never  formally  recognized  in  any 
public  treaty.  By  an  unratified  treaty,  dated  September 
24, 1868,  the  provisions  of  which  seem  to  have  been  the 
basis  of  subsequent  arrangements  with  the  Shosho- 
nean  tribes,  all  this  territory  and  much  besides  was 


INDIAN    OCCUPANCY    OF    THE    UPPER    YELLOWSTONE.       19- 

ceded  to  the  United  States,  and  the  tribes  were  located 
upon  small  reservations. 

It  thus  appears  that  at  the  time  the  Park  was 
created,  March  1,  1872,  all  the  territory  included  in 
its  limits  had  been  ceded  to  the  United  States  except 
the  hunting  ground  above  referred  to,  and  the  narrow 
strip  of  Crow  territory  east  of  the  Yellowstone  where 
the  north  boundary  of  the  Park  lies  two  or  three 
miles  north  of  the  Montana  line.  The  "  hunting 
ground "  arrangement  was  abrogated  by  statute  of 
April  15,  1874,  and  the  strip  of  Crow  territory  was 
purchased  under  an  agreement  with  the  Crows,  dated 
June  12,  1880,  and  ratified  by  Congress,  April  11, 
1882,  thus  extinguishing  the  last  remaining  Indian 
title  to  any  portion  of  the  Yellowstone  Park. 


20  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER  III. 

JOHN    COLTER. 

Lewis  and  Clark  passed  the  second  winter  of  their  ex- 
pedition at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River.  In  the 
spring  and  summer  of  1806  they  accomplished  their  re- 
turn to  St.  Louis.  Upon  their  arrival  at  the  site  of 
their  former  winter  quarters  among  the  Mandans,  an  in- 
cident occurred  which  forms  the  initial  point  in  the 
history  of  the  Yellowstone  National  Park.  It  is  thus 
recorded  in  the  journal  of  the  expedition  under  date 
of  August  14  and  15,  1806  :* 

"  In  the  evening  we  were  applied  to  by  one  of  our 
men,  Colter,  who  was  desirous  of  joining  the  two  trap- 
pers who  had  accompanied  us,  and  who  now  proposed 
an  expedition  up  the  river,  in  which  they  were  to  find 
traps  and  give  him  a  share  of  the  profits.  The  otter 
was  a  very  advantageous  one,  and,  as  he  had  always 
performed  his  duty,  and  his  services  might  be  dispensed 
with,  we  agreed  that  he  might  go  provided  none  of  the 
rest  would  ask  or  expect  a  similar  indulgence.  To  this 
they  cheerfully  answered  that  they  wished  Colter  every 
success  and  would  not  apply  for  liberty  to  separate  be- 
fore we  reached  St.  Louis.  We  therefore  supplied 
him,  as  did  his  comrades  also,  with  powder,  lead,  and 
a  variety  of  articles  which  might  be  useful  to  him,  and 
he  left  us  the  next  day." 

To  our  explorers,  just  returning  from  a  two  years* 

*  Pages  1181-2,  Coues'  "  Lewis  and  Clark."    See  Appendix  E. 


JOHN    COLTER.  21 

sojourn  in  the  wilderness,  Colter's  decision  seemed  too 
remarkable  to  be  passed  over  in  silence.  The  journal 
continues : 

"  The  example  of  this  man  shows  us  how  easily  men 
may  be  weaned  from  the  habits  of  civilized  life  to  the 
ruder  but  scarcely  less  fascinating  manners  of  the 
woods.  This  hunter  has  now  been  absent  for  many 
years  from  the  frontiers,  and  might  naturally  be  pre- 
sumed to  have  some  anxiety,  or  some  curiosity  at  least, 
to  return  to  his  friends  and  his  country ;  yet  just  at  the 
moment  when  he  is  approaching  the  frontiers,  he  is 
tempted  by  a  hunting  scheme  to  give  up  those  delight- 
ful prospects,  and  go  back  without  the  least  reluctance 
to  the  solitude  of  the  woods." 

Colter  seems  to  have  stood  well  in  the  esteem  of 
his  officers.  Besides  the  fair  character  given  him  in 
his  discharge,  the  record  of  the  expedition  shows  that 
he  was  frequently  selected  when  one  or  two  men  were 
required  for  important  special  duty.  That  he  had  a 
good  eye  for  topography  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  Captain  Clark,  several  years  after  the  expedition 
was  over,  placed  upon  his  map  certain  important  infor- 
mation on  the  strength  of  Colter's  statements,  who 
alone  had  traversed  the  region  in  question.  In  another 
instance,  when  Bradbury,  the  English  naturalist,  was 
about  to  leave  St.  Louis  to  join  the  Astorians  in 
the  spring  of  1811,  Clark  referred  him  to  Colter,  who 
had  returned  from  the  mountains,  as  a  person  who 
could  conduct  him  to  a  certain  natural  curiosity  on  the 
Missouri  some  distance  above  St.  Charles.  Colter  had 
not  seen  the  place  for  six  years.  In  the  Missouri  Ga- 
zette, for  April  18,  1811,  he  is  referred  to  as  a  "  cele- 
brated hunter  and  woodsman/'  These  glimpses  of  his 


22  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL   PARK. 

record,  and  a  remarkable  incident  to  be  related  further 
on,  clearly  indicate  that  he  was  a  man  of  superior 
mettle  to  that  of  the  average  hunter  and  trapper. 

Colter's  whereabouts  during  the  three  years  follow- 
ing his  discharge  are  difficult  to  fix  upon.  It  may, 
however,  be  set  down  as  certain  that  he  and  his  com- 
panions ascended  the  Yellowstone  River,  not  the  Mis- 
souri. Captain  Clark's  return  journey  down  the  first- 
mentioned  stream  had  made  known  to  them  that  it 
was  better  beaver  country  than  the  Missouri,  and 
Colter's  subsequent  wanderings  clearly  indicate  that 
his  base  of  operations  was  in  the  valley  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone near  the  mouth  of  the  Bighorn,  Pryor's  Fork, 
or  other  tributary  stream. 

In  the  summer  of  1807,  he  made  an  expedition,  ap- 
parently alone,  although  probably  in  company  with  In- 
dians, which  has  given  him  title  to  a  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Yellowstone  Park,  and  which  was  destined 
in  later  years  to  assume  an  importance  little  enough 
suspected  by  him  at  the  time.  His  route  appears  upon 
Lewis  and  Clark's  map  of  1814,  and  is  there  called 
"  Colter's  route  in  1807."  There  is  no  note  or  explana- 
nation,  and  we  are  left  to  retrace,  on  the  basis  of  a 
dotted  line,  a  few  names,  and  a  date,  one  of  those 
singular  individual  wanderings  through  the  wilder- 
ness which  now  and  then  find  a  permanent  place  in 
history. 

The  "  route,"  as  traced  on  the  map,  starts  from  a 
point  on  Pryor's  Fork,  the  first  considerable  tributary 
of  the  Yellowstone  above  the  mouth  of  the  Bighorn. 
Colter's  intention  seerns  to  have  been  to  skirt  the  east- 
ern base  of  the  Absaroka  Range  until  he  should 
reach  an  accessible  pass  across  the  mountains  of  which 


COLTER'S  ROUTE  ix  1807. 


Opp.  page  S3. 


JOHN    COLTER.  23 

the  Indians  had  probably  told  him ;  then  to  cross 
over  to  the  headwaters  of  Pacific  or  gulf-flowing 
streams  ;  and  then  to  return  by  way  of  the  Upper  Yel- 
lowstone. 

Accordingly,  after  he  had  passed  through  Pryor's 
Gap,  he  took  a  south-westerly  direction  as  far  as 
Clark's  Fork,  which  stream  he  ascended  for  some  dis- 
tance, and  then  crossed  over  to  the  Stinkiugwater. 
Here  he  discovered  a  large  boiling  spring,  strongly 
impregnated  with  tar  and  sulphur,  the  odor  of  which, 
perceptible  for  a  great  distance  around,  has  given  the 
stream  its  "  unhappy  name." 

From  this  point  Colter  continued  along  the  eastern 
flank  of  the  Absaroka  Range,  fording  the  several 
tributaries  of  the  Bighorn  River  which  flow  down 
from  that  range,  and  finally  came  to  the  upper  course 
of  the  main  stream  now  known  as  Wind  River.  He 
ascended  this  stream  to  its  source,  crossing  the  divide 
in  the  vicinity  of  Lincoln  or  Union  Pass,  and  found 
himself  upon  the  Pacific  slope.  The  map  clearly 
shows  that  at  this  point  he  had  reached  what  the  In- 
dians called  the  "  summit  of  the  world  "  near  by  the 
sources  of  all  great  streams  of  the  west.  That  he  dis- 
covered one  of  the  easy  passes  between  "Wind  River 
and  the  Pacific  slope,  is  evident  from  the  reference  in 
the  Missouri  Gazette  already  alluded  to  and  here  re- 
produced for  the  first  time.  It  is  from  the  pen  of  a 
Mr.  H.  M.  Brackenridge,  a  contemporary  writer  of 
note  on  topics  of  western  adventure.  It  reads : 

"At  the  head  of  the  Gallatin  Fork,  and  of  the 
Grosse  Corne  of  the  Yellowstone  [the  Bighorn  River], 
from  discoveries  since  the  voyage  of  Lewis  and  Clark, 
it  is  found  less  difficult  to  cross  than  the  Allegheny 


24  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Mountains.  Coulter,  a  celebrated  hunter  and  woods- 
man, informed  me  that  a  loaded  wagon  would  find  no 
obstruction  in  passing." 

The  "  discoveries  "  are  of  course  those  of  Colter,  for 
no  other  white  man  at  this  time  had  been  in  those 
parts. 

From  the  summit  of  the  mountains  he  descended  to 
the  westward;  crossed  the  Snake  River  and  Teton 
Pass  to  Pierre's  Hole,  and  then  turned  north,  re- 
crossing  the  Teton  Range  by  the  Indian  trail  in  the 
valley  of  what  is  now  Conant  Creek,  just  north  of 
Jackson  Lake.*  Thence  he  continued  his  course  until 
he  reached  Yellowstone  Lake,*  at  some  point  along 
its  south-western  shore.  He  passed  around  the  west 
shore  to  the  northernmost  point  of  the  Thumb,  and 
then  resumed  his  northerly  course  over  the  hills  arriv- 
ing at  the  Yellowstone  River  in  the  valley  of  Alum 
Creek.  He  followed  the  left  bank  of  the  river  to  the 
ford  just  above  Tower  Falls,  where  the  great  Bannock 
Trail  used  to  cross,  and  then  followed  this  trail  to  its 
junction  with  his  outward  route  on  Clark's  Fork. 
From  this  point  he  re-crossed  to  the  Stinkingwater, 
possibly  in  order  to  re-visit  the  strange  phenomena 
there,  but  more  probably  to  explore  new  trapping  ter- 
ritory on  his  way  back.  He  descended  the  Stinking- 
water  until  about  south  of  Pryor's  Gap,  when  he 
turned  north  and  shortly  after  arrived  at  his  starting 
point. 

The  direction  of  Colter's  progress,  as  here  indicated, 
and  the  identification  of  certain  geographical  features 


*  For  the  names  given  by  Captain  Clark  to  these  bodies  of  water, 
see  Appendix  A,  "Jackson  Lake  "  and  "Yellowstone  Lake." 


JOHN    COLTER.  25 

noted  by  him,  differ  somewhat  from  the  ordinary  in- 
terpretation of  that  adventure.  But,  while  -it  would 
be  absurd  to  dogmatize  upon  so  uncertain  a  subject,  it 
is  believed  jthat  the  theory  adopted  is  fairly  well  sup- 
ported by  the  facts  as  now  known.  It  must  in  the 
first  place  be  assumed  that  Colter  exercised  ordinary 
common  sense  upon  this  journey  and  availed  himself 
of  all  information  that  could  facilitate  his  progress. 
It  is  probable  that  he  was  under  the  guidance  of  In- 
dians who  knew  the  country  ;  but  if  not,  he  frequently 
stopped,  like  any  traveler  in  an  unknown  region,  to 
inquire  his  way.  He  sought  the  established  trails, 
low  mountain  passes,  and  well-known  fords,  and  did 
not,  as  the  map  suggests,  take  a  direction  that  would 
carry  him  through  the  very  roughest  and  most  im- 
passable mountain  country  on  the  continent.  It  is 
necessary  to  orient  his  map  so  as  to  make  both  his 
outgoing  and  return  routes  extend  nearly  due  north 
and  south,  instead  of  north-east  and  south-west,  in 
order  to  reconcile  his  geography  at  all  with  the  modern 
maps.  With  these  precautions  some  of  the  difficulty 
of  the  situation  disappears. 

Colter,  it  is  therefore  assumed,  followed  the  great 
trail  along  the  Absarokas  to  the  Wind  River  Valley, 
and  crossed  the  divide  by  one  of  the  easy  passes  at  its 
head.  His  two  crossings  of  the  Teton  range  were 
along  established  trails.  He  evidently  lost  his  bear- 
ings somewhat  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Yellowstone 
Lake,  but  as  soon  as  he  arrived  at  the  river  below  the 
lake  he  kept  along  the  trail  until  he  reached  the  im- 
portant crossing  at  Tower  Falls.  If  he  was  in  com- 
pany with  Indians  who  had  ever  been  through  that 


26  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

country  before,  he  learned  that  it  would  be  no  advan- 
tage to  cross  at  Mud  Geyser,  inasmuch  as  he  would 
strike  the  great  Bannock  Trail  at  the  next  ford  below. 
Moreover,  the  distance  below  the  lake  to  the  point 
where  Colter  touched  the  Yellowstone  is  clearly 
greater  than  that  to  the  Mud  Geyser  Ford.  The 
bend  in  the  river  at  the  Great  Falls,  and  the  close 
proximity  of  the  Washburn  Range  to  the  river,  are 
distinctly  indicated.  The  locality  noted  on  the  map 
as  "Hot  Springs  Brimstone"  is  evidently  not  that 
near  the  Mud  Geyser,  as  generally  assumed,  but  in- 
stead, that  of  the  now  world-renowned  Mammoth 
Hot  Springs.  As  will  be  seen  from  the  map,  it  is 
nearer  the  Gallatin  River  than  it  is  to  the  Yellowstone 
where  Colter  crossed.  If  Colter  visited  the  Springs 
from  Tower  Falls,  as  is  not  unlikely,  a  clue  is  sup- 
plied to  the  otherwise  perplexing  reference  to  the 
Gallatin  River  in  the  above  extract  from  the  Missouri 
Gazette,  for  it  would  thus  appear  that  he  was  near  the 
sources  of  both  the  GrOsse  Corne  and  of  the  Gallatin. 
The  essential  difficulties  in  the  way  of  this  theory 
(and  they  exist  with  any  possible  theory  that  can  be 
advanced)  are  the  following:  (1.)  There  is  no  stream 
on  the  map  that  can  stand  for  the  Snake  River  either 
above  or  below  Jackson  Lake,  although  Colter  must 
have  crossed  it  in  each  place.  "  Colter's  River " 
comes  nearest  the  first  location,  and  may  possibly  be 
intended  to  represent  that  stream;  but  Clark's  evi- 
dent purpose  to  drain  Jackson  Lake  into  the  Bighorn 
River  doubtless  led  to  a  distortion  of  the  map  in  this 
locality.  (2.)  The  erroneous  shape  given  to  the  Yel- 
lowstone Lake  will  be  readily  understood  by  any  one 
who  has  visited  its  western  shore.  The  jutting 


JOHN    COLTER.  27 

promontories  to  the  eastward  entirely  conceal  from 
view  the  great  body  of  the  lake  and  give  it  a  form 
not  unlike  that  upon  Clark's  map.  (3.)  The  absence 
of  the  Great  Falls  from  the  map  is  not  easily  ac- 
counted for,  although  the  location  and  trend  of  the 
Grand  Caflon  are  shown  with  remarkable  accuracy. 
(4.)  The  absence  of  the  many  hot  springs  districts, 
through  which  Colter  passed,  particularly  that  at  the 
west  end  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  may  be  explained 
by  the  same  spirit  of  incredulity  which  led  to  the 
rejection  of  all  similar  accounts  for  a  period  of  more 
than  sixty  years.  It  is  probable  that  Clark  was  not 
willing  to  recognize  Colter's  statements  on  this  sub- 
ject further  than  to  note  on  his  map  the  location  of 
the  most  wonderful  of  the  hot  springs  groups  men- 
tioned by  him. 

The  direction  in  which  Colter  traveled  is  a  matter 
of  no  essential  importance,  and  that  here  adopted  is 
based  solely  upon  the  consideration  that  the  doubling 
of  the  trail  upon  itself  between  Clark's  Fork  and  the 
Stinkingwater  River,  and  the  erratic  course  of  the 
route  around  Yellowstone  Lake,  can  not  be  well  ac- 
counted for  on  the  contrary  hypothesis.* 

Such,  in  the  main,  is  "Colter's  route  in  1807." 
That  he  was  the  discoverer  of  Yellowstone  Lake,  and 
the  foremost  herald  of  the  strange  phenomena  of  that 
region,  may  be  accepted  as  beyond  question.  He  did 

*  In  adopting,  as  Colter's  point  of  crossing  the  Yellowstone, 
the  ford  at  Tower  Creek,  the  author  has  followed  the  Hon.  N.  P. 
Langford,  in  his  reprint  of  Folsom's  '  'Valley  of  the  Upper  Yel- 
lowstone." (See  Appendix  E.)  All  other  writers  who  have 
touched  upon  the  subject  have  assumed  the  ford  to  be  that  near 
the  Mud  Geyser. 


28  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

not,  as  is  generally  supposed,  see  the  Firehole  Geyser 
Basins.  But  he  saw  too  much  for  his  reputation  as  a 
man  of  veracity.  No  author  or  map-maker  would 
jeopardize  the  success  of  his  work  by  incorporating 
in  it  such  incredible  material  as  Colter  furnished. 
His  stories  were  not  believed ;  their  author  became 
the  subject  of  jest  and  ridicule ;  and  the  region  of 
his  adventures  was  long  derisively  known  as  "  Colter's 
Hell."  * 

The  story  of  Colter's  subsequent  experience  before 
he  returned  to  St.  Louis  is  thrilling  in  the  extreme. 
Although  it  has  no  direct  bearing  upon  this  narrative, 
still,  since  it  is  part  of  the  biography  of  the  discoverer 
of  the  Upper  Yellowstone,  it  can  not  be  omitted.  The 
detailed  account  we  owe  to  the  naturalist  Bradbury, 
already  referred  to.  He  saw  Colter  above  St.  Louis 
in  the  spring  of  1811,  one  year  after  his  return  from 
the  mountains,  and  received  the  story  directly  from 
him.  All  other  accounts  are  variations  from  Brad- 
bury. Irving,  who  has  made  this  story  an  Indian 
classic,  borrows  it  in  toto.  Perhaps  in  all  the  records 
of  Indian  adventure  there  is  not  another  instance  of 
such  a  miraculous  escape,  in  which  the  details  are 
throughout  so  clearly  within  the  range  of  possibility. 
It  is  a  consistent  narrative  from  beginning  to  end.  In 
briefest  outline  it  is  as  follows  : 

When  Colter  returned  from  his  expedition  of  1807, 


*  This  name  early  came  to  be  restricted  to  the  locality  where 
Colter  discovered  the  tar  spring  on  the  Stinkingwater,  probably 
because  few  trappers  ever  saw  the  other  similar  localities  visited 
by  him.  But  Colter's  descriptions,  so  well  summed  up  by  Irving  in 
his  "  Captain  Bonneville,"  undoubtedly  refer  in  large  part  to  what 
he  saw  in  the  Yellowstone  and  Snake  River  Vallevs. 


JOHN    COLTER.  29 

he  found  Manuel  Lisa,  of  the  Missouri  Fur  Company, 
already  in  the  country,  where  he  had  just  arrived 
from  St.  Louis.  With  him  was  one  Potts,  believed  to 
be  the  same  person  who  had  been  a  private  in  the 
party  of  Lewis  and  Clark.  In  the  spring  of  1808, 
Colter  and  his  old  companion  in  arms  set  out  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  Missouri  on  a  trapping  expedition. 
It  was  on  a  branch  of  Jefferson  Fork  that  they  went 
to  work,  and  here  they  met  with  their  disastrous  ex- 
perience. 

One  morning  while  they  were  in  a  canoe  examining 
their  traps  they  were  surprised  by  a  large  party  of 
Blackfeet  Indians.  Potts  attempted  resistance  and 
was  slain  on  the  spot.  Colter,  with  more  presence  of 
mind,  gave  himself  up  as  the  only  possible  chance  of 
avoiding  immediate  death.  The  Indians  then  con- 
sulted as  to  how  they  should  kill  him  in  order  to  yield 
themselves  the  greatest  amount  of  amusement.  Col- 
ter, upon  being  questioned  as  to  his  fleetness  of  foot, 
sagaciously  replied  that  he  was  a  poor  runner  (though 
in  fact  very  swift),  and  the  Indians,  believing  that  it 
would  be  a  safe  experiment,  decided  that  he  should 
run  for  his  life.  Accordingly  he  was  stripped  naked 
and  was  led  by  the  chief  to  a  point  three  or  four  hun- 
dred'yards  in  advance  of  the  main  body  of  the  Indians. 
Here  he  was  told  "  to  save  himself  if  he  could,"  and  the 
race  began — one  man  against  five  hundred. 

The  Indians  quickly  saw  how  they  had  been  out- 
witted, for  Colter  flew  away  from  them  as  if  upon  the 
wings  of  the  wind.  But  his  speed  cost  him  dear. 
The  exertion  caused  the  blood  to  stream  from  his 
mouth  and  nostrils,  and  run  down  over  his  naked 
form.  The  prickly  pear  and  the  rough  ground  lacer- 


30  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

ated  his  feet.  Six  miles  away  across  a  level  plain  was 
a  fringe  of  cottonwood  on  the  banks  of  the  Jefferson 
River.  Short  of  that  lay  not  a  shadow  of  chance  of 
concealment.  It  was  a  long  race,  but  life  hung  upon 
the  issue.  The  Indians  had  not  counted  on  such  pro- 
digious running.  Gradually  they  fell  off,  and  when 
Colter  ventured  for  the  first  time  to  glance  back,  only 
a  small  number  were  in  his  wake.  Encouragement 
was  now  added  to  hope,  and  he  ran  even  faster  than 
before. 

But  there  was  one  Indian  who  was  too  much  for 
him.  He  was  steadily  shortening  the  distance  between 
them,  and  at  last  had  arrived  within  a  spear's  throw. 
Was  Colter  to  be  slain  by  a  single  Indian  after  having 
distanced  five  hundred?  He  would  see.  Suddenly 
whirling  about,  he  confronted  the  Indian,  who  was 
astounded  at  the  sudden  move  and  at  Colter's  bloody 
appearance.  He  tried  to  hurl  his  spear  but  stumbled 
and  broke  it  as  he  fell.  Colter  seized  the  pointed  por- 
tion and  pinned  the  Indian  to  the  earth. 

Again  he  resumed  his  flight.  He  reached  the  Jef- 
ferson, and  discovered,  some  distance  below,  a  raft  of 
driftwood  against  the  head  of  an  island.  He  dived 
under  this  raft  and  found  a  place  where  he  could  get 
his  head  above  water.  There,  in  painful  suspense,  he 
awaited  developments.  The  Indians  explored  the 
island  and  examined  the  raft,  but  Colter's  audacious 
spirit  was  beyond  their  comprehension.  It  did  not 
occur  to  them  that  he  was  all  the  time  surveying  their 
movements  from  his  hiding  place  under  the 'timber, 
and  they  finally  abandoned  the  search  and  withdrew. 
Colter  had  saved  himself.  When  evening  came  he 
.swam  several  miles  down  the  river  and  then  went 


JOHN    COLTER.  31 

ashore.  For  seven  days  he  wandered  naked  and  un- 
armed, over  stones,  cacti,  and  the  prickly  pear, 
scorched  hy  the  heat  of  noon  and  chilled  by  the  frost 
of  night,  finding  his  sole  subsistence  in  such  roots  as 
he  might  dig,  until  at  last  he  reached  Lisa's  trading 
post  on  the  Bighorn  River. 

Even  this  terrible  adventure  could  not  dismay  the 
dauntless  Colter,  and  he  remained  still  another  year 
in  the  mountains.  Finally,  in  the  spring  of  1810,  he 
got  into  a  canoe  and  dropped  down  the  river,  "  three 
thousand  miles  in  thirty  days,"  reaching  St.  Louis, 
May  1st,  after  an  absence  of  six  years. 

Colter  remained  in  St.  Louis  for  a  time  giving 
Clark  what  information  he  could  concerning  the 
places  he  had  seen,  and  evidently  talking  a  great  deal 
about  his  adventures.  Finally  he  retired  to  the  coun- 
try some  distance  up  the  Missouri,  and  married.  Here 
we  again  catch  a  glimpse  of  him  when  the  Astorians 
were  on  their  way  up  the  river.  As  Colter  saw  the 
well  appointed  expedition  setting  out  for  the  moun- 
tains, the  old  fever  seized  him  again  and  he  was  upon 
the  point  of  joining  the  party.  But  what  the  hard- 
ships of  the  wilderness  and  the  pleasures  of  civiliza- 
tion could  not  dissuade  him  from  doing,  the  charms 
of  a  newly-married  wife  easily  accomplished.  Colter 
remained  behind;  and  here  the  curtain  of  oblivion 
falls  upon  the  discoverer  of  the  Yellowstone.  It  is 
not  without  genuine  satisfaction  that,  having  followed 
him  through  the  incredible  mazes  of  "  Colter's  Hell," 
we  bid  him  adieu  amid  surroundings  of  so  different  a 
character. 


32  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    TRADER    AND    TRAPPER. 

For  sixty  years  after  Lewis  and  Clark  returned 
from  their  expedition,  the  headwaters  of  the  Yellow- 
stone remained  unexplored  except  by  the  trader  and 
trapper.  The  traffic  in  peltries  it  was  that  first  in- 
duced extensive  exploration  of  the  west.  Concerning 
the  precious  metals,  the  people  seem  to  have  had 
little  faith  in  their  abundant  existence  in  the  west, 
and  no  organized  search  for  them  was  made  in  the 
earlier  years  of  the  century.  But  that  country,  even 
in  its  unsettled  state,  had  other  and  important  sources 
of  wealth.  Myriads  of  beaver  inhabited  the  streams 
and  innumerable  buffalo  roamed  the  valleys.  The 
buffalo  furnished  the  trapper  with  means  of  subsist- 
ence, and  beaver  furs  were  better  than  mines  of  gold. 
Far  in  advance  of  the  tide  of  settlement  the  lonely 
trapper,  and  after  him  the  trader,  penetrated  the  un- 
known west.  Gradually  the  enterprise  of  individuals 
crystallized  around  a  few  important  nuclei  and  there 
grew  up  those  great  fur-trading  companies  which  for 
many  years  exercised  a  kind  of  paternal  sway  over  the 
Indians  and  the  scarcely  more  civilized  trappers.  A 
brief  resume  of  the  history  of  these  companies  will 
show  how  important  a  place  they  occupy  in  the  early 
history  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone. 

The  climax  of  the  western  fur  business  may  be 
placed  at  about  the  year  1830.  At  that  time  three 
great  companies  operated  in  territories  whose  converg- 


THE  TRADER  AND  TRAPPER.  33 

ing  lines  of  separation  centered  in  the  region  about 
Yellowstone  Lake.  The  oldest  and  most  important  of 
them,  and  the  one  destined  to  outlive  the  others,  was 
the  world-renowned  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  It  was 
at  that  time  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  old.  Its 
earlier  history  was  in  marked  contrast  with  that  of 
later  years.  Secure  in  the  monopoly  which  its  exten- 
sive charter  rights  guaranteed,  it  had  been  content 
with  substantial  profits  and  had  never  pushed  its  busi- 
ness far  into  new  territory  nor  managed  it  with  ag- 
gressive vigor.  It  was  not  until  forced  to  action  by 
the  encroachments  of  a  dangerous  rival,  that  it  be- 
came the  prodigious  power  of  later  times. 

This  rival  was  the  great  North-west  Fur  Company 
of  Montreal:  It  had  grown  up  since  the  French  and 
Indian  "War,  partly  as  a  result  of  that  conflict,  and 
finally  took  corporate  form  in  1787.  It  had  none  of 
the  important  territorial  rights  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  but  its  lack  of  monopoly  was  more  than 
made  up  by  the  enterprise  of  its  promoters.  With  its 
bands  of  Canadian  frontiersmen,  it  boldly  penetrated 
the  north-west  and  paid  little  respect  to  those  terri- 
torial rights  which  its  venerable  rival  was  powerless 
to  enforce.  It  rapidly  extended  its  operations  far  into 
the  unexplored  interior.  Lewis  and  Clark  found  its 
traders  among  the  Mandans  in  1804.  In  1811  the 
Astorians  saw  its  first  party  descend  the  Columbia  to 
the  sea.  Two  years  later  the  American  traders  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  were  forced  to  succumb  to  their  British 
rivals. 

A  long  and  bitter  strite  now  ensued  between  the 
two  British  companies.  It  even  assumed  the  magni- 
tude of  civil  war,  and  finally  resulted  in  a  frightful 


34  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

massacre  of  unoffending  colonists.  The  British  gov- 
ernment interfered  and  forced  the  rivals  into  court, 
where  they  were  brought  to  the  verge  of  ruin  by  pro- 
tracted litigation.  A  compromise  was  at  last  effected 
in  1821  by  an  amalgamation  of  the  two  companies 
under  the  name  of  the  older  rival. 

But  in  the  meantime  a  large  part  of  their  best  fur 
country  had  been  lost.  In  1815  the  government  of 
the  United  States  excluded  British  traders  from  its 
territory  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  To  the  west 
of  this  limit,  however,  the  amalgamated  company 
easily  forced  all  its  rivals  from  the  field.  No  Ameri- 
can fur  company  ever  attained  the  splendid  organiza- 
tion, nor  the  influence  over  the  Indians,  possessed  by 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  At  the  tmie  of  which 
we  write  it  was  master  of  the  trade  in  the  Columbia 
River  valley,  and  the  eastern  limit  of  its  operations 
within  the  territory  of  the  United  States  was  nearly 
coincident  with  the  present  western  boundary  of  the 
Yellowstone  Park. 

The  second  of  the  great  companies  to  which  refer- 
ence has  been  made  was  the  American  Fur  Company. 
It  was  the  final  outcome  of  John  Jacob  Astor's  various 
attempts  to  control  the  fur  trade  of  the  United  States. 
Although  it  was  incorporated  in  1809,  it  was  for  a 
time  overshadowed  by  the  more  brilliant  enterprises 
known  as  the  Pacific  Fur  Company  and  the  South- 
west Fur  Company.  The  history  of  Mr.  Astor's 
Pacific  Fur  Company,  the  dismal  experiences  of  the 
Astorians,  and  the  deplorable  failure  of  the  whole  un- 
dertaking, are  matters  familiar  to  all  readers  of 
Irving's  "Astoria." 

The    other   project    gave    for   a    time    more   sub- 


THE  TRADER  AND  TRAPPER.  35 

stantial  promise  of  success.  A  British  company  of 
considerable  importance,  under  the  name  of  the 
Mackinaw  Company,  with  headquarters  at  Michili- 
macinac,  had  for  some  time  operated  in  the  country 
about  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi  now  included 
in  the  states  of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  Astor  suc- 
ceeded in  forming  a  new  company,  partly  with 
American  and  partly  with  Canadian  capital.  This 
company  bought  out  the  Mackinaw  Company,  and 
changed  the  name  to  South-west  Fur  Company.  But 
scarcely  had  its  promising  career  begun  when  it  was 
cut  short  by  the  War  of  1812. 

The  failure  of  these  two  attempts  caused  Mr.  Astor 
to  turn  to  the  old  American  Fur  Company.  The  ex- 
clusion Act  of  1815  enabled  him  to  buy  at  his  own 
price  the  Xorth-west  Fur  Company's  posts  on  the  up- 
per rivers,  and  the  American  Company  rapidly  ex- 
tended its  trade  over  all  the  country,  from  Lake 
Superior  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Its  posts  mul- 
tiplied in  every  direction,  and  at  an  early  date  steam- 
boats began  to  do  its  business  up  the  Missouri  River 
from  St.  Louis.  It  gradually  absorbed  lesser  concerns, 
such  as  the  Missouri  Fur  Company,  and  the  Columbia 
Fur  Company,  and  in  1823  was  reorganized  under  the 
name  of  The  North  American  Fur  Company.  In 
1834,  Astor  sold  his  interests  to  Chouteau,  Valle  and 
Company,  of  St.  Louis,  and  retired  from  the  business. 
At  this  time  the  general  western  limit  of  the  territory 
operated  in  by  this  formidable  company  was  the 
northern  and  eastern  slope  of  the  mountains  which 
bound  the  Yellowstone  Park  on  the  north  and  east. 
Its  line  of  operations  was  down  the  river  to  St.  Louis, 


36  THE   YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

and  its  great  trading  posts  were  located  at  frequent 
intervals  between. 

The  third  of  the  great  rival  companies  was  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company,  which  originated  in 
St.  Louis  in  1822,  and  received  its  full  organization  in 
1826  under  the  direction  of  Jedediah  Smith,  David 
Jackson  and  William  Sublette.  Among  the  leading 
spirits,  who  at  one  time  or  another  guided  its  affairs, 
was  the  famous  mountaineer  James  Bridger  to  whom 
frequent  reference  will  be  made. 

This  company  had  its  general  center  of  operations 
on  the  head  waters  of  Green  River  to  the  west  of 
South  Pass.  Unlike  the  other  companies,  it  had  no 
navigable  stream  along  which  it  could  establish  posts 
and  conduct  its  operations.  By  the  necessities  of  its 
exclusively  mountain  trade  it  developed  a  new  feature 
of  the  fur  business.  The  voyageur,  with  his  canoe  and 
oar,  gave  way  to  the  mountaineer,  with  his  saddle  and 
rifle.  The  trading  post  was  replaced  by  the  annual 
rendezvous,  which  was  in  many  points  the  forerunner 
of  the  later  cattle  "  roundups  "  of  the  plains.  These 
rendezvous  were  agreed  upon  each  year  at  localities 
best  suited  for  the  convenience  of  the  trade.  Hither 
in  the  spring  came  from  the  east  convoys  of  supplies 
for  the  season's  use.  Hither  repaired  also  the  various 
parties  of  hunters  and  trappers  and  such  bands  of  In- 
dians as  roamed  in  the  vicinity.  These  meetings  were 
great  occasions,  both  in  the  transaction  of  business 
and  in  the  round  of  festivities  that  always  prevailed. 
After  the  traffic  of  the  occasion  was  over,  and  the 
plans  for  the  ensuing  year  were  agreed  upon,  the  con- 
voys returned  to  the  States  and  the  trappers  to  their 
retreats  in  the  mountains.  The  field  of  operations  of 


THE  TRADER  AND  TRAPPER.  37 

this  company  was  very  extensive  and  included  about 
all  of  the  West  not  controlled  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
and  American  Fur  Companies. 

Thus  was  the  territory  of  the  great  West  practically 
parceled  out  among  these  three  companies.*  It  must 
not  be  supposed  that  there  was  any  agreement,  tacit 
or  open,  that  each  company  should  keep  within  cer- 
tain limits.  There  were,  indeed,  a  few  temporary  ar- 
rangements of  this  sort,  but  for  the  most  part  each 
company  maintained  the  right  to  work  in  any  terri- 
tory it  saw  fit,  and  there  was  constant  invasion  by  each 
of  the  proper  territories  of  the  other.  But  the  prac- 
tical necessities  of  the  business  kept  them,  broadly 
speaking,  within  the  limits  which  we  have  noted.  The 
roving  bands  of  "free  trappers"  and  "lone  traders," 
and  individual  expeditions  like  those  of  Captain 
Bonneville  and  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth,  acknowledged 
allegiance  to  none  of  the  great  organizations,  but 
wandered  where  they  chose,  dealing  by  turns  with 
each  of  the  companies. 

Nor  did  any  company  maintain  an  exclusive  mo- 
nopoly of  its  peculiar  methods  of  conducting  business. 
The  American  Fur  Company  frequently  held  rendez- 
vous at  points  remote  from  its  trading  posts ;  and  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company  in  later  years  resorted 

*  A  singular  and  striking  coincidence  at  once  discloses  itself  to 
any  one  who  compares  maps  showing  the  territories  operated  in 
by  these  three  companies,  and  those  which  belonged  to  the  three 
great  families  of  Indians  mentioned  in  a  preceding  chapter.  By 
far  the  larger  part  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  territory,  as 
far  west  as  the  main  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  was  Algon- 
quian.  The  American  Fur  Company's  territory  was  almost  en- 
tirely Siouan,  and  that  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company, 
Shoshonean. 


38  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

to  the  Missouri  River  as  its  line  of  supplies.  In  fact, 
the  interests  of  the  two  companies  finally  became  to 
such  an  extent  dependent  upon  each  other  that  a 
union  was  effected,  in  1839,  under  the  firm  name  of  P. 
Chouteau,  Jr. 

The  records  of  those  early  days  abound  in  refer- 
ences to  the  fierce  competition  in  trade  which  existed 
between  these  great  organizations.  It  led  to  every 
manner  of  device  or  subterfuge  which  might  deceive 
a  rival  as  to  routes,  conceal  from  him  important  trap- 
ping grounds,  undermine  the  loyalty  of  his  emplo}7es 
or  excite  the  hostility  of  the  Indians  against  him.  It 
often  led  to  deeds  of  violence,  and  made  the  presence 
of  a  rival  band  of  trappers  more  dreaded  than  a  war 
party  of  the  implacable  Blackfeet. 

The  vigor  and  enterprise  of  these  traders  caused 
their  business  to  penetrate  the  remotest  and  most  in- 
accessible corners  of  the  land.  Silliman's  Journal  for 
January,  1834,  declares  that — 

"  The  mountains  and  forests,  from  the  Arctic  Sea 
to  the  Gulf  ot  Mexico,  are  threaded  through  every 
maze  by  the  hunter.  Every  river  and  tributary 
stream,  from  the  Columbia  to  the  Rio  del  J^orte,  and 
from  the  Mackenzie  to  the  Colorado  of  the  West, 
from  their  head  waters  to  their  junctions,  are  searched 
and  trapped  for  beaver." 

That  a  business  of  such  all-pervading  character 
should  have  left  a  region  like  our  present  Yellowstone 
Park  unexplored  would  seem  extremely  doubtful. 
That  region  lay,  a  sort  of  neutral  ground,  between 
the  territories  of  the  rival  fur  companies.  Its  streams 
abounded  with  beaver ;  and,  although  hemmed  in  by 
vast  mountains,  and  snow-bound  most  of  the  year,  it 


THE  TRADER  AND  TRAPPER.  39 

could  not  have  escaped  discovery.  la  fact,  every 
part  of  it  was  repeatedly  visited  by  trappers.  Ren- 
dezvous were  held  on  every  side  of  it,  and  once,  it  is 
believed,  in  Hayden  Valley,  just  north  of  Yellowstone 
Lake.  Had  the  fur  business  been  more  enduring,  the 
geyser  regions  would  have  become  known  at  least  a 
generation  sooner. 

But  a  business  carried  on  with  such  relentless  vigor 
naturally  soon  taxed  the  resources  of  nature  beyond 
its  capacity  for  reproduction.  In  regions  under  the 
control  of  a  single  organization,  as  in  the  vast  do- 
mains of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  great  care  was 
taken  to  preserve  the  fur-bearing  animals  from  ex- 
tinction ;  but  in  United  States  territory,  the  exigencies 
of  competition  made  any  such  provision  impossible. 
The  poor  beaver,  as  at  a  later  day  the  buffalo,  quickly 
succumbed  to  his  ubiquitous  enemies.  There  was  no 
spot  remote  enough  for  him  to  build  his  dam  in  peace, 
and  the  once  innumerable  multitude  speedily  dwindled 
away.  The  few  years  immediately  preceding  and  fol- 
lowing 1830  were  the  halcyon  days  of  the  fur  trade  in 
the  United  States.  Thenceforward  it  rapidly  de- 
clined, and  by  1850  had  shrunk  to  a  mere  shadow  of 
its  former  greatness.  With  its  disappearance  the 
early  knowledge  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone  also  dis- 
appeared. Subsequent  events — the  Mormon  emigra- 
tion, the  war  with  Mexico,  and  the  discovery  of 
gold — drew  attention,  both  private  and  official,  in 
other  directions ;  and  the  great  wonderland  became 
again  almost  as  much  unknown  as  in  the  days  of 
Lewis  and  Clark. 


40  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER  V. 

EARLY   KNOWLEDGE   OF    THE   YELLOWSTONE. 

On  the  west  bank  of  the  Yellowstone  River,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  above  the  Upper  Falls,  in  a  ravine 
now  crossed  by  a  lofty  wooden  bridge,  stands  a  pine 
tree,  on  which  is  the  oldest  record,  except  that  of 
Colter,  of  the  presence  of  white  men  within  the  pres- 
ent limits  of  the  Park.  It  is  an  inscription,  giving 
the  initials  of  a  name  and  the  date  when  inscribed. 
It  was  discovered  in  1880  by  Col.  P.  W.  Norris,  then 
Superintendent  of  the  Park.  It  is  now  practically  il- 
legible from  overgrowth,  although  some  of  the  char- 
acters can  still  be  made  out.  Col.  Norris,  who  saw  it 
fifteen  years  ago,  claims  to  have  successfully  deciphered 
it.  He  verified  the  date  by  counting  the  annual  rings 
on  another  tree  near  by,  which  bore  hatchet  marks, 
presumably  of  the  same  date.  The  time  that  had 
elapsed  since  these  cuts  were  made  corresponded  well 
with  the  inscribed  date.  The  inscription  was : 


Aug  19  1819 

Efforts  have  been  made  to  trace  this  inscription  to 
some  of  the  early  noted  trappers,  but  the  attempt  can 
hardly  succeed.  Even  if  an  identity  of  initials  were 
established,  the  identity  of  individuals  would  still  re- 
main in  doubt.  Nothing  short  of  some  authentic 
record  of  such  a  visit  as  must  have  taken  place  can 
satisfy  the  requirements  of  the  case.  In  the  absence 


EARLY    KNOWLEDGE    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE.  41 

of  any  such  record,  the  most  that  can  be  said  is  that 
the  inscription  is  proof  positive  that  the  Park  country 
was  visited  by  white  men,  after  Colter's  time,  fully 
fifty  years  before  its  final  discovery. 

Col.  Norris'  researches  disclosed  other  similar  evi- 
dence, although  in  no  other  instance  with  so  plain  a 
clue  as  to  date.  Near  Beaver  Lake  and  Obsidian 
Cliff,  he  found,  in  1878,  a  cache  of  marten  traps  of  an 
old  pattern  used  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 
trappers  fifty  years  before.  He  also  examined  the 
ruins  of  an  ancient  block-house  discovered  by  Freder- 
ick Bottler  at  the  base  of  Mt.  Washburn,  near  the 
Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone.  Its  decayed  con- 
dition indicated  great  age.  In  other  places,  the 
stumps  of  trees,  old  logs  used  to  cross  streams,  and 
many  similar  proofs,  were  brought  to  light  by  that  in- 
veterate ranger  of  the  wilderness. 

The  Washburn  party,  in  1870,  discovered  on  the 
•east  bank  of  the  Yellowstone,  just  above  Mud  Geyser, 
the  remains  of  a  pit,  probably  once  used  for  conceal- 
ment in  shooting  water  fowl. 

In  1882,  there  was  still  living  in  Montana,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years,  a  French- 
man by  the  name  of  Baptiste  Ducharne.  This  man 
spent  the  summers  of  1824  and  1826  on  the  Upper 
Yellowstone  River  trapping  for  beaver.  He  saw  the 
Grand  Canon  and  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone  and  the 
Yellowstone  Lake.  He  passed  through  the  geyser 
regions,  and  could  accurately  describe  them  more  than 
half  a  century  after  he  had  seen  them. 

A  book  called  "•  The  River  of  the  West,"*  published 

*  See  Appendix  E. 


42  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

in  1871,  but  copyrighted  in  1869,  before  the  publica- 
tion of  any  modern  account  of  the  geyser  regions, 
contains  the  record  of  an  adventure  in  the  Yellow- 
stone three  years  after  those  of  Ducharne.  The  book 
is  a  biography  of  one  Joseph  Meek,  a  trapper  and 
pioneer  of  considerable  note.  The  adventure  to  which 
reference  is  made  took  place  in  1829,  and  was  the  re- 
sult of  a  decision  by  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Com- 
pany to  retire  from  competition  with  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  in  the  Snake  River  Valley.  In  leaving 
the  country,  Captain  William  Sublette,  the  chief 
partner,  led  his  party  up  Henry  Fork,  across  the 
Madison  and  Gallatin  Rivers,  to  the  high  ridge  over- 
looking the  Yellowstone,  at  some  point  near  the  pres- 
ent Cinnabar  Mountain.  Here  the  party  was  dispersed 
by  a, band  of  Blackfeet,  and  Meek,  one  of  its  mem- 
bers, became  separated  from  his  companions.  He  had 
lost  his  horse  and  most  of  his  equipment  and  in  this 
condition  he  wandered  for  several  days,  without  food 
or  shelter,  until  he  was  found  by  two  of  his  compan- 
ions. His  route  lay  in  a  southerly  direction,  to  the 
eastward  of  the  Yellowstone,  at  some  distance  back 
from  the  river.  On  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day  he 
had  the  following  experience  : 

"  Being  desirous  to  learn  something  of  the  progress 
he  had  made,  he  ascended  a  low  mountain  in  the 
neighborhood  of  his  camp,  and  behold  !  the  whole 
country  beyond  was  smoking  with  vapor  from  boiling 
springs,  and  burning  with  gases  issuing  from  small 
craters,  each  of  which  was  emitting  a  sharp,  whistling 
sound.  "When  the  first  surprise  of  this  astonishing 
scene  had  passed,  Joe  began  to  admire  its  efl'ect  from 
an  artistic  point  of  view.  The  morning  being  clear. 


EARLY    KNOWLEDGE    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE.  43 

with  a  sharp  frost,  he  thought  himself  reminded  of 
the  City  of  Pittsburg,  as  he  had  beheld  it  on  a  win- 
ter morning,  a  couple  of  years  before.  This,  however, 
related  only  to  the  rising  smoke  and  vapor;  for  the 
extent  of  the  volcanic  region  was  immense,  reaching 
far  out  of  sight.  The  general  face  of  the  country  was 
smooth  and  rolling,  being  a  level  plain,  dotted  with 
cone-shaped  mounds.  On  the  summit  of  these  mounds 
were  small  craters  from  four  to  eight  feet  in  diameter. 
Interspersed  among  these  on  the  level  plain  were 
larger  craters,  some  of  them  from  four  to  six  miles 
across.  Out  of  these  craters,  issued  blue  flames  and 
molten  brimstone."* 

Making  some  allowance  for  the  trapper's  tendency 
to  exaggeration,  we  recognize  in  this  description  the 
familiar  picture  of  the  hot  springs  districts.  The  pre- 
cise location  is  difficult  to  determine;  but  Meek's 
previous  wanderings,  and  the  subsequent  route  of 
himself  and  his  companions  whom  he  met  here,  show 
conclusively  that  it  was  one  of  the  numerous  districts 
east  of  the  Yellowstone,  which  were  possibly  then 
more  active  than  now. 

This  book  affords  much  other  evidence  of  early 
knowledge  of  the  country  immediately  bordering  the 
present  Park.  The  Great  Bend  of  the  Yellowstone 
where  Livingston  now  stands,  was  already  a  famous 
rendezvous.  The  Gardiner  and  Firehole  Rivers  were 
well  known  to  trappers ;  and  a  much-used  trail  led 
from  the  Madison  across  the  Gallatin  Range  to  the 
Gardiner,  and  thence  up  the  Yellowstone  and  East 
Fork  across  the  mountains  to  the  Bighorn  Valley. 

*  Page  75,  "  River  of  the  West." 


44         THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

In  Vol.  I,  No.  17,  August  13,  1842,  of  The  Wasp,  a 
Mormon  paper  published  at  Nauvoo,  III.,  occurs  the 
first,  as  it  is  by  far  the  best,  of  all  early  accounts  of  the 
geyser  regions  prior  to  1870.  It  is  an  extract  from  an 
unpublished  work,  entitled  Life  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Who  was  the  author  will  probably  never  be 
known ;  but  that  he  was  a  man  of  culture  and  educa- 
tion, altogether  beyond  the  average  trader,  is  evident 
from  the  passing  glimpse  which  we  have  of  his  work. 
He  apparently  made  his  visit  from  some  point  in  the 
valley  of  Henry  Pork  not  far  west  of  the  Firehole 
River,  for,  at  the  utmost  allowance,  he  traveled  only 
about  sixty  or  seventy  miles  to  reach  the  geyser 
basins.  The  evidence  is  conclusive  that  the  scene  of 
this  visit  was  the  Upper  Geyser  Basin.  It  fits  per- 
fectly with  the  description,  while  numerous  insuperable 
discrepancies  render  identification  with  the  Lower 
Basin,  which  some  have  sought  to  establish,  impossi- 
ble. Following  is  this  writer's  narrative  : 

"  I  had  heard  in  the  summer  of  1833,  while  at  ren- 
dezvous, that  remarkable  boiling  springs  had  been  dis- 
covered on  the  sources  of  the  Madison,  by  a  party  of 
trappers,  in  their  spring  hunt ;  of  which  the  accounts 
they  gave,  were  so  very  astonishing,  that  I  determined 
to  examine  them  myself,  before  recording  their  de- 
scription, though  I  had  the  united  testimony  of  more 
than  twenty  men  on  the  subject,  who  all  declared  they 
saw  them,  and  that  they  really  were  as  extensive  and 
remarkable  as  they  had  been  described.  Having  now  an 
opportunity  of  paying  them  a  visit,  and  as  another  or 
a  better  might  not  occur,  I  parted  with  the  company 
after  supper,  and  taking  with  me  two  Pend  d'Oreilles 
(who  were  induced  to  take  the  excursion  with  me,  by 


EARLY    KNOWLEDGE    OF    TUB    YELLOWSTONE.  4S 

the  promise  of  ail  extra  present,)  set  out  at  a  round 
pace,  the  night  being  clear  and  comfortable.  We  pro- 
ceeded over  the  plain  about  twenty  miles,  and  halted 
until  daylight,  on  a  fine  spring,  flowing  into  Camas 
Creek.  Refreshed  by  a  few  hours'  sleep,  we  started 
again  after  a  hasty  breakfast,  and  entered  a  very  ex- 
tensive forest,  called  the  Pine  Woods ;  (a  continued 
succession  of  low  mountains  or  hills,  entirely  cov- 
ered with  a  dense  growth  of  this  species  of  timber ;) 
which  we  passed  through  and  reached  the  vicinity  of 
the  springs  about  dark,  having  seen  several  lakes  or 
ponds  on  the  sources  of  the  Madison,  and  rode  about 
forty  miles ;  which  was  a  hard  day's  ride,  taking  into 
consideration  the  rough  irregularity  of  the  country 
through  which  we  traveled. 

"  We  regaled  ourselves  with  a  cup  of  coffee,  the  ma- 
terials for  making  which  we  had  brought  with  us,  and 
immediately  after  supper,  lay  down  to  rest,  sleepy  and 
much  fatigued.  The  continual  roaring  of  the  springs, 
however,  (which  was  distinctly  heard,)  for  some  time 
prevented  my  going  to  sleep,  and  excited  an  impatient 
curiosity  to  examine  them,  which  I  was  obliged  to  de- 
fer the  gratification  of  until  morning,  and  filled  iny 
slumbers  with  visions  of  waterspouts,  cataracts,  foun- 
tains, jets  d'eau  of  immense  dimensions,  etc.,  etc. 

"  When  I  arose  in  the  morning,  clouds  of  vapor 
seemed  like  a  dense  fog  to  overhang  the  springs,  from 
which  frequent  reports  or  explosions  of  different  loud- 
ness,  constantly  assailed  our  ears.  I  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  inspect  them,  and  might  have  exclaimed  with 
the  Queen  of  Sheba,  when  their  full  reality  of  dimen- 
sions and  novelty  burst  upon  my  view,  'the  half  was 
not  told  me.' 


46  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

"  From  the  surface  of  a  rocky  plain  or  table,  burst 
forth  columns  of  water,  of  various  dimensions,  pro- 
jecting high  in  the  air,  accompanied  by  loud  explo- 
sions, and  sulphurous  vapors,  which  were  highly  disa- 
greeable to  the  smell.  The  rock  from  which  these 
springs  burst  forth  wTas  calcareous,  and  probably  ex- 
tends some  distance  from  them,  beneath  the  soil.  The 
largest  of  these  beautiful  fountains  projects  a  column 
of  boiling  water  several  feet  in  diameter,  to  the  height 
of  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  in  my  opin- 
ion ;  but  the  party  of  Alvarez,  who  discovered  it,  per- 
sist in  declaring  that  it  could  not  be  less  than  four 
times  that  distance  in  height — accompanied  with  a 
tremendous  noise.  These'  explosions  and  discharges 
occur  at  intervals  of  about  two  hours.  After  having 
witnessed  three  of  them,  I  ventured  near  enough  to 
put  my  hand  into  the  waters  of  its  basin,  but  with- 
drew it  instantly,  for  the  heat  of  the  water  in  this 
immense  chaldron  was  altogether  too  great  for  my 
comfort ;  and  the  agitation  of  the  water,  the  disagree- 
able effluvium  continually  exuding,  and  the  hollow 
unearthly  rumbling  under  the  rock  on  which  I  stood, 
so  ill  accorded  with  my  notions  of  personal  safety, 
that  I  retreated  back  precipitately  to  a  respectful  dis- 
tance. The  Indians,  who  were  with  me,  were  quite 
appalled,  and  could  not  by  any  means  be  induced  to 
approach  them.  They  seemed  astonished  at  my  pre- 
sumption in  advancing  up  to  the  large  one,  and  when 
I  safely  returned,  congratulated  me  upon  my  'nar- 
row escape.'  They  believed  them  to  be  supernatural 
and  supposed  them  to  be  the  production  of  the  Evil 
Spirit.  One  of  them  remarked  that  hell,  of  which 
he  had  heard  from  the  whites,  must  be  in  that  vicin- 


EARLY    KNOWLEDGE    OF   THE    YELLOWSTONE.  47 

ity.  The  diameter  of  the  basin  into  which  the  waters 
of  the  largest  jet  principally  fall,  and  from  the  center 
of  which,  through  a  hole  in  the  rock,  of  about  nine 
or  ten  feet  in  diameter,  the  water  spouts  up  as  above 
related,  may  be  about  .thirty  feet.  There  are  many 
other  smaller  fountains,  that  did  not  throw  their  wa- 
ters up  so  high,  but  occurred  at  shorter  intervals.  In 
some  instances  the  volumes  were  projected  obliquely 
upward,  and  fe'll  into  the  neighboring  fountains,  or 
on  the  rock  or  prairie.  But  their  ascent  was  generally 
perpendicular,  falling  in  and  about  their  own  basins 
or  apertures. 

"  These  wonderful  productions  of  nature  are  situ- 
ated near  the  center  of  a  small  valley,  surrounded  by 
pine-covered  hills,  through  which  a  small  fork  of  the 
Madison  flows." 

Here  we  have  a  description,  as  from  the  pen  of  some 
earlier  Doane  or  Langford,  free  from  exaggeration  and 
true  to  the  facts.  No  one  who  has  seen  the  Upper 
Geyser  Basin  will  question  its  general  correctness. 
The  writer  then  goes  on  to  relate  what  he  has  learned 
from  others,  but  here  exaggeration  creeps  in  and  this 
part  of  his  narrative  is  less  reliable.  It  continues : 

u  From  several  trappers  who  had  recently  returned 
from  the  Yellow  Stone,  I  received  an  account  of  boil- 
ing springs  that  differ  from  those  seen  on  Salt  River 
only  in  magnitude,  being  on  a  vastly  larger  scale ; 
some  of  their  cones  are  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
high,  and  forty  to  fifty  paces  in  circumference.  Those 
which  have  ceased  to  emit  boiling,  vapor,  etc.,  of 
which  there  were  several,  are  full  of  shelving  cavities, 
even  some  fathoms  in  extent,  which  give  them,  in- 
side, an  appearance  of  honey-comb.  The  ground  for 


48  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

several  acres  extent  in  vicinity  of  the  springs  is  evi- 
dently hollow,  and  constantly  exhales  a  hot  steam  or 
vapor  of  disagreeable  odor,  and  a  character  entirely 
to  prevent  vegetation.  They  are  situated  in  the  valley 
at  the  head  of  that  river  near  the  lake,  which  consti- 
tutes its  source. 

"A  short  distance  from  these  springs,  near  the  mar- 
gin of  the  lake,  there  is  one  quite  different  from  any 
yet  described.  It  is  of  a  circular  form,  several  feet  in 
diameter,  clear,  cold  and  pure ;  the  bottom  appears 
visible  to  the  eye,  and  seems  seven  or  eight  feet  below 
the  surface  of  the  earth  or  water,  without  meeting 
any  resistance.  What  is  most  singular  with  respect 
to  this  fountain  is  the  fact  that  at  regular  intervals  of 
about  two  minutes,  a  body  or  column  of  water  bursts 
up  to  the  height  of  eight  feet,  with  an  explosion 
as  loud  as  the  report  of  a  musket,  and  then  falls  back 
into  it ;  for  a  few  seconds  the  water  is  roily,  but  it 
speedily  settles  and  becomes  transparent  as  before  the 
effusion.  A  slight  tremulous  motion  of  the  water, 
and  a  low  rumbling  sound  from  the  caverns  beneath, 
precede  each  explosion.  This  spring  was  believed  to 
be  connected  with  the  lake  by  some  subterranean  pas- 
sage, but  the  cause  of  its  periodical  eruptions  or  dis- 
charges, is  entirely  unknown.  I  have  never  before 
heard  of  a  cold  spring,  whose  waters  exhibit  the 
phenomena  of  periodical  explosive  propulsion,  in  form 
of  a  jet.  The  geysers  of  Iceland,  and  the  various 
other  European  springs,  the  waters  of  which  are  pro- 
jected upwards,  with  violence  and  uniformity,  as  well 
as  those  seen  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Madison,  are 
invariably  hot." 

The    cold  water  geyser  above  described,  although 


EARLY   KNOWLEDGE    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE.  49 

apparently  a  myth,  may  not  have  been  so  after  all. 
In  many  places  along  the  west  shore  of  the  Yellow- 
stone Lake  there  are  visible  protuberances  in  the 
water  surface  where  boiling  springs  from  beneath 
force  the  cold  water  upward.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
this  spring  was  so  connected  with  the  lake  as  to  keep 
constantly  filled  with  cold  water  to  a  considerable 
depth ;  and  that  the  eruptive  energy  of  the  spring  was 
expended  in  lifting  the  superincumbent  mass  without 
giving  any  visible  indication  of  the  thermal  action 
below. 

The  whole  article  forms  the  most  interesting  and 
authentic  reference  to  the  geyser  regions  published 
prior  to  1870.  It  proves  beyond  question  that  a 
knowledge  of  this  region  existed  among  the  early 
trappers,  and  confirms  our  previous  deduction  that  the 
wide  range  of  the  fur  business  could  not  have  left  it 
unexplored. 

In  a  letter  addressed  by  General  Bonneville  to  the 
Montana  Historical  Society,*  since  the  creation  of  the 
Yellowstone  Park,  he  states  that,  at  the  time  of  his 
sojourn  in  the  mountains,  in  1831-4,  the  geyser  regions 
were  known  to  his  men,  although  he  had  not  personally 
seen  them.  He  also  remembered  having  seen  the 
trader  Alvarez,  referred  to  in  the  above  article. 

In  1844,  a  large  party  of  trappers  entered  the  Up- 
per Yellowstone  Valley  from  the  south,  passed  around 
the  west  shore  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake  to  the  outlet, 
where  they  had  a  severe  battle  with  the  Blackfeet 
Indians,  in  a  broad  open  tract  at  that  point.  The  re- 

*  See  Appendix  E,  "  Transactions  Montana  Historical  Society." 


50  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

of  their  old  corral  were  still  visible  as  late  as 


1870. 

There  are  numerous  other  interesting,  though  less 
definite,  references  to  an  early  knowledge  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone ;  but  those  we  have  given  show  their  general 
character.  The  important  fact  to  remember  is  that 
this  knowledge  was  barren  of  result.  For  the  most 
part  it  existed  only  in  the  minds  of  illiterate  men,  and 
perished  with  them.  It  never  caught  the  public  ear 
and  did  not  in  the  least  degree  hasten  the  final  dis- 
covery. Historically  interesting  these  early  adventures 
will  always  be  ;  as  are  also  the  Norse  voyages  to 
America;  but  they  are  very  far  from  being  the  Col- 
umbus voyage  of  discovery. 


JAMES    BRIDGER.  51 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JAMES    BRIDGER. 

Of  the  early  characters  whose  names  are  closely 
linked  with  the  history  of  the  Yellowstone,  the  most 
distinguished  is  James  Bridger,  a  sketch  of  wrhose  life 
is  given  in  Appendix  A,  under  "  Bridger  Lake." 
That  he  had  often  been  in  the  region  of  the  Yellow- 
stone Park,  and  was  familiar  with  its  unique  features, 
is  now  well  known.  His  first  personal  knowledge  of 
them  is  believed  to  date  from  1824,  when  he  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  upon  the  upper  Yellowstone.  It 
is  certain  that  before  1840  he  knew  of  the  existence 
of  the  geysers  in  the  Firehole  Valley,  although  at  that 
time  he  had  probably  not  seen  them  himself.  Be- 
tween 1841  and  1844  Bridger  was  leader  of  a  grand 
hunting  and  trapping  expedition,  which  for  upward 
of  two  years,  wandered  over  the  country  from  the 
Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  to  Chihuahua,  Mexico. 
At  some  time  during  this  expedition  he  entered  the 
region  of  the  upper  Yellowstone  and  saw  most  of  its 
wonders.  His  descriptions  of  the  geysers  and  other 
remarkable  features  of  that  locality  can  be  traced 
back  nearly  to  this  period  and  present  an  accuracy  of 
detail  which  could  come  only  from  personal  observa- 
tion. 

Among  the  records  of  these  descriptions  the  earliest 
is  that  by  Captain  J.  W.  Gunnison,  of  the  Corps  of 
Topographical  Engineers,  who  was  associated  with 
Captain  Howard  Stansbury,  of  the  same  corps,  in  the 


52  TIIE    YELLOAVSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Salt  Lake  Expedition  of  1849-50.  The  record  is 
found  in  Gunnison's  History  of  the  Mormons,*  and 
dates  back  to  this  expedition.  It  reads  : 

"He  [Bridger]  gives  a  picture,  most  romantic  and 
enticing,  of  the  head  waters  of  the  Yellow  Stone.  A 
lake,  sixty  miles  long,  cold  and  pellucid,  lies  em- ' 
bosomed  among  high  precipitous  mountains.  On  the 
west  side  is  a  sloping  plain,  several  miles  wide,  with 
clumps  of  trees  and  groves  of  pine.  The  ground  re- 
sounds with  the  tread  of  horses.  Geysers  spout  up 
seventy  feet  high,  with  a  terrific,  hissing  noise,  at  reg- 
ular intervals.  Waterfalls  are  sparkling,  leaping  and 
thundering  down  the  precipices,  and  collect  in  the 
pool  below.  The  river  issues  from  this  lake,  and  for 
fifteen  miles  roars  through  the  perpendicular  canon  at 
the  outlet.  In  this  section  are  the  '  Great  Springs,' 
so  hot  that  meat  is  readily  cooked  in  them,  and  as 
they  descend  on  the  successive  terraces,  afford  at 
length  delightful  baths.  On  thre  other  side  is  an  acid 
spring,  which  gushes  out  in  a  river  torrent ;  and  be- 
low is  a  caye,  which  supplies  '  vermillion '  for  the 
savages  in  abundance." 

In  this  admirable  summary  we  readily  discover  the 
Yellowstone  Lake,  the  Grand  Canon,  the  Falls,  the 
geyser  basins,  the  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  and  Cin- 
nabar Mountain.  Prior  to  1860,  Bridger  had  related 
these  accounts  to  Captain  "Warren,  Captain  Raynolds, 
Doctor  Hayden,  and  others,  and  although  he  seems  to 
have  convinced  these  gentlemen  that  there  was  some- 
thing in  his  stories,  they  still  attributed  less  to  fact 
than  to  fancy. 

*  Page  151,  Gunnison's  History  of  the  Mormons. 
See  Appendix  E. 


JAMES    BRIDGER.  53 

In  his  efforts  to  disseminate  a  knowledge  of  this  re- 
gion, Bridger  was  as  determined  as  Colter  had  been 
before  him,  and  with  little  better  success.  He  tried  to 
have  his  narratives  published,  but  no  periodical  would 
lend  itself  to  his  service.  The  editor  of  the  Kansas 
City  Journal  stated  editorially  in  1879  that  Bridger 
had  told  him  of  these  wonders  fully  thirty  years  be- 
fore. He  prepared  an  article  from  Bridger's  descrip- 
tion, but  suppressed  it  "because  his  friends  ridiculed 
the  whole  thing  as  incredible.  He  later  publicly 
apologized  to  Bridger,  who  was  then  living  at  West- 
port,  Missouri.* 

The  persistent  incredulity  of  his  countrymen,  and 
their  ill-concealed  suspicion  of  his  honesty,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  his  mental  soundness,  were  long  a  cloud 
upon  Bridger's  life;  but,  more  fortunate  than  his  pro- 
totype, Colter,  he  lived  to  see  himself  triumphantly 
vindicated.  Whether  from  disgust  at  this  unmerited 


*  Of  interest  in  this  connection  is  the  following  extract  from  a 
recent  letter  to  the  writer  by  the  present  managing  editor  of  the 
Kansas  City  Journal  : 

"The  interview  had  with  Bridger  was  in  the  year  1856.  He 
told  Col.  R.  T.  Van  Horn,  Editor  of  the  Journal,  which  was  pub- 
lished at  that  time,  the  story  of  the  Park  with  the  geysers,  and  at 
the  same  time,  drew  with  a  piece  of  charcoal  on  a  piece  of  wrap- 
ping paper  an  outline  of  the  route  necessary  to  be  taken  by  a 
railroad  should  it  ever  cross  the  continent,  which  route  is  exactly 
-on  the  line  that  is  now  crossed  by  the  Union  Pacific. 

In  this  conversation,  he  told  the  Colonel  about  the  mud  springs 
and  the  other  wonders  of  that  part  of  the  country,  or  to  use  his 
own  expression, '  it  was  a  place  where  hell  bubbled  up.' 

The  Colonel  was  much  interested  in  the  matter  at  the  time  and 
took  notes  of  the  account,  but  did  not  print  it  because  a  man  who 
claimed  to  know  Bridger,  told  him  that  he  would  be  laughed  out 
-of  town  if  he  printed  '  any  of  old  Jim  Bridger's  lies.'  " 


54         THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

treatment,  or  because  of  his  love  of  a  good  story,. 
Bridger  seems-finally  to  have  resolved  that  distrust  of 
his  word,  if  it  must  exist,  should  at  least  have  some 
justification.  He  was  in  fact  noted  for  "  drawing  the 
long  bow  to  an  unparalleled  tension,"  and  for  never 
permitting  troublesome  scruples  of  conscience  to  in- 
terfere with  the  proper  embellishment  of  his  yarns. 
These  were  generally  based  upon  fact,  and  diligent 
search  will  discover  in  them  the  "  soul  of  truth  "  which, 
according  to  Herbert  Spencer,  always  exists  "  in  things 
erroneous."  These  anecdotes  are  current  even  yet 
among  the  inhabitants  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  the 
tourist  who  remains  long  in  the  Park  will  not  fail  to 
hear  them. 

When  Bridger  found  that  he  could  not  make  his 
hearers  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  vast  mass  of  vol- 
canic glass,  now  known  to  all  tourists  as  the  interest- 
ing Obsidian  Cliff,  he  supplied  them  with  another 
glass  mountain  of  a  truly  original  sort.  Its  discovery 
was  the  result  of  one  of  his  hunting  trips  and  it  hap- 
pened in  this  wise. 

Coming  one  day  in  sight  of  a  magnificent  elk,  he 
took  careful  aim  at  the  unsuspecting  animal  and  fired. 
To  his  great  amazement,  the  elk  not  only  was  not 
wounded,  but  seemed  not  even  to  have  heard  the  re- 
port of  the  rifle.  Bridger  drew  considerable  nearer 
and  gave  the  elk  the  benefit  of  his  most  deliberate 
aim ;  but  with  the  same  result  as  before.  A  third  and 
a  fourth  effort  met  with  a  similar  fate.  Utterly  ex- 
asperated, he  seized  his  rifle  by  the  barrel,  resolved  to 
use  it  as  a  club  since  it  had  failed  as  a  firearm.  He 
rushed  madly  toward  the  elk,  but  suddenly  crashed 
into  an  immovable  vertical  wall  which  proved  to  be  a. 


JAMES    BRIDGER.  55 

mountain  of  perfectly  transparent  glass,  on  the  farther 
side  of  which,  still  in  peaceful  security,  the  elk  was 
quietly  grazing.  Stranger  still,  the  mountain  was  not 
only  of  pure  glass,  but  was  a  perfect  telescopic  lens, 
and,  whereas,  the  elk  seemed  but  a  few  hundred  yards 
ofi',  it  was  in  reality  twenty -five  miles  away ! 

Another  of  Bridger's  discoveries  was  an  ice-cold 
spring  near  the  summit  of  a  lofty  mountain,  the 
water  from  which  flowed  down  over  a  long  smooth 
slope,  where  it  acquired  such  a  velocity  that  it  was 
boiling  hot  when  it  reached  the  bottom.* 

An  account,  in  which  the  "  soul  of  truth  "  is  not  so 
readily  apparent,  is  that  of  a  mining  prospector  of 
this  region,  who,  in  later  times,  met  a  unique  and  hor- 
rible fate.  He  had  for  days  been  traveling  with  a 
party  toward  a  prodigious  diamond  set  in  the  top  of  a 
mountain,  where,  even  at  noonday,  it  shone  with  a  lus- 
ter surpassing  the  sun.  He  arrived  at  length  on  the  top 
of  the  mountain  only  to  see  the  diamond  on  another 
summit  apparently  as  far  away  as  ever.  Disheartened 
and  weary,  he  thought  to  save  the  labor  of  descent 


*  This  story,  which  is  taken  from  the  report  of  Captain  \V.  F. 
Raynolds,  was  one  of  Bridger's  favorites,  and  it  is  even  said  that 
he  did  not  regard  it  as  pleasantry  at  all,  but  as  plain  matter  of 
fact.  Mr.  Langford,  who  often  heard  him  relate  it,  says  that  he 
generally  described  the  stream  as  flowing  over  the  smooth  surface 
of  a  rock,  and  reasoned  that,  as  two  sticks  rubbed  together  pro- 
duce heat  by  friction,  so  the  water  rubbing  over  the  rock  became 
hot.  In  proof,  he  cited  an  instance  where  the  water  was  hot  only 
in  close  proximity  to  the  rock  and  not  at  the  surface.  Mr.  Lang- 
ford  found  a  partial  confirmation  of  the  fact,  but  not  of  the  the- 
ory, in  fording  the  Firehole  River  in  1870.  He  passed  over  the 
smooth  deposit  of  an  active  hot  spring  in  the  bed  of  the  stream, 
and  found  that  the  stream  bottom  and  the  water  in  contact  with 
it  were  hot. 


56         THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

by  taking  advantage  of  an  extremely  smooth  face  of 
the  mountain,  and  accordingly  sat  down  upon  his 
shovel,  as  upon  a  toboggan,  and  let  slide.  There  was  a 
vacant  place  around  the  camp-fire  that  evening,  and 
next  day  the  rest  of  the  party,  passing  along  the  base 
of  the  mountain,  found  an  infusible  clay  pipe  and  the 
molten  remains  of  a  shovel.  "Warned  by  the  fate  of 
their  comrade,  the  superstitious  survivors  forbore  any 
further  search  for  the  diamond. 

To  those  who  have  visited  the  west  shore  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone Lake,  and  know  how  simple  a  matter  it  is  to 
catch  the  lake  trout  and  cook  them  in  the  boiling 
pools  without  taking  them  from  the  line,  the  ground 
work  of  the  following  description  will  be  obvious 
enough.  Somewhere  along  the  shore  an  immense  boil- 
ing spring  discharges  its  overflow  directly  into  the  lake. 
The  specific  gravity  of  the  water  is  less  than  that  of 
the  lake,  owing  probably  to  the  expansive  action  of 
heat,  and  it  floats  in  a  stratum  three  or  four  feet  thick 
upon  the  cold  water  underneath.  When  Bridger  was 
in  need  of  fish  it  was  to  this  place  that  he  went. 
Through  the  hot  upper  stratum  he  let  fall  his  bait  to 
the  subjacent  habitable  zone,  and  having  hooked  his 
victim,  cooked  him  on  the  way  out! 

In  like  manner  the  visitor  to  the  region  of  petri- 
factions on  Specimen  Ridge  in  the  north-east  corner  of 
the  Park,  and  to  various  points  in  the  hot  springs  dis- 
tricts, will  have  no  difficulty  in  discovering  the  base 
material  out  of  which  Bridger  contrived  the  follow- 
ing picturesque  yarn.  According  to  his  account  there 
exists  in  the  Park  country  a  mountain  which  was 
once  cursed  by  a  great  medicine  man  of  the  Crow  na- 
tion. Every  thing  upon  the  mountain  at  the  time  of 


JAMES    BRIDGER.  57 

this  dire  event  became  instantly  petrified  and  nas  re- 
mained so  ever  since.  All  forms  of  life  are  standing 
about  in  stone  where  they  were  suddenly  caught  by 
the  petrifying  influences,  even  as  the  inhabitants  of 
ancient  Pompeii  were  surprised  by  the  ashes  of  Ve- 
suvius. Sage  brush,  grass,  prairie  fowl,  antelope,  elk, 
and  bears  may  there  be  seen  as  perfect  as  in  actual  life. 
Even  flowers  are  blooming  in  colors  of  crystal,  and 
birds  soar  with  wings  spread  in  motionless  flight,  while 
_the  air  floats  with  music  and  perfumes  siliceous,  and 
the  sun  and  the  moon  shine  with 'petrified  light ! 

In  this  way  Bridger  avenged  himself  for  the  spirit 
of  distrust  so  often  shown  for  what  he  had  related. 
The  time  presently  came,  however,  when  the  public 
learned,  not  only  how  large  a  measure  of  truth  there 
was  in  his  stories,  but  also  how  ingenious  a  tale  he 
could  weave  from  very  inadequate  material. 


58  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

RAYNOLDS'    EXPEDITION. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  1859,  Captain  W.  F.  Raynolds, 
of  the  Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers,  U.  S.  A.,  was 
ordered  to  explore  "  the  region  of  country  through 
which  flow  the  principal  tributaries  of  the  Yellow- 
stone River,  and  the  mountains  in  which  they,  and  the 
Gallatin  and  Madison  Forks  of  the  Missouri,  have 
their  source."  This  was  the  first  government  expedi- 
tion *  directed  to  the  precise  locality  which  is  now  em- 
braced in  the  Yellowstone  National  Park.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  us,  not  for  what  it  accomplished — for  it  for- 
tunately failed  to  penetrate  the  Upper  Yellowstone 
country — but  because  it  gives  an  admirable  resume, 
in  the  form  of  a  report  and  a  map,  of  the  geographical 
knowledge  of  that  country  down  to  the  date  of  actual 
discovery. 

Captain  Raynolds  was  in  the  field  during  the  two 
seasons  of  1859  and  1860 ;  but  it  was  only  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1860  that  he  directed  his  efforts  toward  the 
country  in  which  we  are  particularly  interested.  In 
May  of  that  year  the  expedition  left  its  winter  quar- 
ters at  Deer  Creek,  Wyo.,  and  marched  to  the  junction 
of  the  Wind  River  and  the  Popo  Agie  where  these 
streams  unite  under  the  name  of  Bighorn  River.  Here 


*  Accompanying  this  expedition  as  geologist  was  Dr.  F.  V.  Hay- 
den,  whose  name  is  so  intimately  connected  with  the  history  of 
the  Yellowstone  Park.  James  Bridger  was  guide  to  the  party. 


RAYNOLDS'    EXPEDITION.  59 

the  party  divided.  One  division  under  Captain  Ray- 
nolds  was  to  ascend  the  Wind  River  to  its  source  and 
then  cross  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Yellowstone.  This 
stream  they  were  to  follow  down  to  the  Great  Bend, 
and  then  cross  over  to  the  Three  Forks  of  the  Mis- 
souri. The  other  party,  under  Lieutenant  Maynadier, 
was  to  skirt  the  east  and  north  flanks  of  the  Absarokn 
Range  and  to  join  the  first  party  at  the  Three  Forks, 
if  possible,  not  later  than  July  1st. 

Captain  Raynolds  was  charged  with  other  instruc- 
tions than  those  mentioned  in  his  order,  which  must  be 
kept  in  mind  in  order  properly  to  account  for  the  final 
outcome  of  the  expedition.  A  total  eclipse  of  the 
sun  was  to  occur  on  July  18th  of  that  year,  and  its 
line  of  greatest  occupation  lay  north  of  the  British 
boundary.  It  was  desired  that  Captain  Raynolds 
should  be  present  in  that  locality  in  time  to  observe 
the  eclipse.  This  condition,  rather  than  impassable 
mountains  or  unmelted  snows,  was  the  chief  obstacle 
to  a  thorough  exploration  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone. 

The  two  parties  separated  May  24th.  Captain  Ray- 
nolds, according  to  his  programme,  kept  up  the  Wind 
River  valley,  and  with  much  difficulty  effected  a  cross- 
ing by  way  of  Union  Pass — which  he  named — to  the 
western  slope  of  the  mountains.  He  then  turned  north 
seeking  a  passage  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Yellow- 
stone. When  nearly  opposite  Two-Ocean  Pass,  he 
made  a  strenuous  effort  to  force  his  way  through, 
spending  two  days  in  the  attempt.  But  it  was  still 
June  and  the  snow  lay  deep  on  the  mountains.  It 
was  a  physical  impossibility  to  get  through  at  that 
point,  and  the  risk  of  missing  the  eclipse  forebade 


60  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

efforts  elsewhere.  The  Captain  was  deeply  disap- 
pointed at  this  result.  He  writes  : 

"  My  fondly  cherished  schemes  of  this  nature  were 
all  dissipated  by  the  prospect  before  us  ;  ...  and 
I  therefore  very  reluctantly  decided  to  abandon  the 
plan  to  which  I  had  so  steadily  clung." 

It  seems  not  a  little  singular  that  so  experienced  a 
guide  as  Bridger  should  not  have  conducted  the  party 
up  the  valley  of  the  Snake  River  and  thence  over  the 
low  divide  between  that  stream  and  the  Yellowstone 
Lake — a  route  which  was  perfectly  practicable  even  as 
early  as  June.  But  the  plan  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  entertained,  and  the  expedition  passed  around 
the  Park  region  to  the  west,  arriving  at  the  Three 
Forks  on  the  29th  of  June. 

Lieutenant  Maynadier  wisely  made  no  attempt  to 
cross  the  Absaroka  Range,  which  rose  continuously 
on  his  left.  Had  he  done  so,  the  deep  snow  at  that 
season  would  have  rendered  his  efforts  futile.  He 
kept  close  to  the  flank  of  the  mountains  until  he 
reached  the  valley  of  the  Yellowstone  north  of  the 
Park,  and  then  hastened  to  join  his  commanding 
officer  at  the  appointed  rendezvous.  He  reached  the 
Three  Forks  on  the  3d  day  of  July. 

The  expedition  had  now  completely  encircled  the 
region  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone.  At  one  point  Cap- 
tain Raynolds  had  stood  where  his  eye  could  range 
over  all  that  country  \vhich  has  since  become  so 
famous ;  but  this  wras  the  limit  of  his  endeavor.  The 
Yellowstone  wonderland  was  spared  the  misfortune  of 
being  discovered  at  so  early  a  day — .a  fact  quite  as 
fortunate  as  any  in  its  history. 

It  will  be  interesting  now  to  survey  this  region  as 


KAYNOLDS'    EXPEDITION.  61 

known  at  the  time  of  the  Kaynolds  Expedition. 
Nothing  of  importance  occurred  to  increase  public 
knowledge  of  it  until  1870,  and  Captain  Raynolds'  * 
Report  is  therefore  the  latest  authentic  utterance  con- 
cerning it  prior  to  the  date  of  actual  discovery.  In 
this  report  Captain  Raynolds  says  : 

"  Beyond  these  [the  mountains  south-east  of  the 
Park],  is  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone,  which 
is  as  yet  a  terra  incognita.  My  expedition  passed  en- 
tirely around,  but  could  not  penetrate  it.  ... 
Although  it  was  June,  the  immense  body  of  snow 
baffled  all  our  exertions,  and  we  were  compelled  to 
content  ourselves  with  listening  to  marvelous  tales  of 
burning  plains,  immense  lakes,  and  boiling  springs, 
without  being  able  to  verify  these  wonders.  I  know 
of  but  two  men  who  claim  to  have  ever  visited  this 
part  of  the  Yellowstone  Valley — James  Bridger  and 
Robert  Meldrum.  The  narratives  of  both  these  men 
are  very  remarkable,  and  Bridger,  in  one  of  his  re- 
citals, described  an  immense  boiling  spring,  that  is  a 
perfect  counterpart  of  the  geysers  of  Iceland.  As  he 
is  uneducated,  and  had  probably  never  heard  of  the 
existence  of  such  natural  wonders  elsewhere,  I  have 
little  doubt  that  he  spoke  of  that  which  he  had  actu- 
ally seen.  .  .  .  Bridger  also  insisted  that  imme- 
diately westfof  the  point  at  which  we  made  our  final 
effort  to  penetrate  this  singular  valley,  there  is  a 
stream  of  considerable  size,  which  divides  and  flows 
down  either  side  of  the  water-shed,  thus  discharging 
its  waters  into  both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans." 


*  See  Bibliography,  Appendix  E,  "  Explorations  of  the  Yellow- 
stone," etc. 
T  Actually  north-east. 


62  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

The  Captain  concludes  this  particular  part  of  his 
report  as  follows : 

"  I  can  not  doubt,  therefore,  that  at  no  very  distant 
day,  the  mysteries  of  this  region  will  be  fully  re- 
vealed ;  and,  although  small  in  extent,  I  regard  the 
valley  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone  as  the  most  inter- 
esting unexplored  district  in  our  widely*  expanded 
country." 

Lieutenant  Maynadier  also  contributes  a  few  inter- 
esting observations  upon  this  region.  The  vast  im- 
portance of  that  extensive  mass  of  mountains,  as  a 
reservoir  of  waters  for  the  country  round  about,  im- 
pressed him  deeply.  He  says,  somewhat  ostenta- 
tiously : 

"As  my  fancy  warmed  with  the  wealth  of  desola- 
tion before  me,  I  found  something  to  admire  in  the 
calm  self-denial  with  which  this  region,  content  with 
barren  magnificence,  gives  up  its  water  and  soil  to 
more  favored  countries." 

Of  the  Yellowstone  River,  he  was  told  that  it  had 
its  source  "in  a  lake  in  the  impenetrable  fastnesses  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains ;"  and  that  for  some  distance 
below  the  lake  it  flowed  through  a  narrow  gorge,  up 
which  "  no  one  has  ever  been  able  to  travel." 

But  it  is  the  map  prepared  by  Captain  Raynolds 
that  tells  a  more  interesting  story  even  than  his  writ- 
ten report.  It  reveals  at  once  to  the  eye  what  was 
known  as  well  as  what  was  unknown  of  the  Upper 
Yellowstone.  Extending  in  a  south-easterly  and 
north-westerly  direction,  is  a  large  elliptical  space, 
within  which  geographical  features  are  represented 
by  dotted  lines,  indicating  that  they  are  put  in  by 
hearsay  only.  In  the  midst  of  a  surrounding1  coun- 


MAP 

OF    TUB 

SOURCES  or  THE  YELLOWSTONE 

AS  KNOWN  BETWEEN  IBtit)  AND  18TO 
FROM    THE  MAP 


Opp  puge  (JZ. 


RAYNOLDS'  EXPEDITION.  63 

try,  which  is  already  mapped  with  great  accuracy, 
there  is  a  region  wholly  unknown  to  the  geographer. 
A  cordon  of  mountains  encircles  it,  and  shows  the 
limit  of  official  effort  to  gain  a  correct  knowledge  of 
it.  Within  this  enchanted  inclosure  lies  the  region 
approximately  defined  by  the  44th  and  45th  parallels 
of  latitude  and  the  110th  and  lllth  meridians  of 
longitude,  which  now  constitutes  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park.  There  one  may  catch  glimpses, 
through  the  uncertain  haze  of  tradition,  of  the  gey- 
sers, hot  springs,  Lake,  Falls,  Grand  Canon,  Mam- 
moth Hot  Springs,  and  Two-Ocean  Pass.  This  was 
the  net  result  of  fifty  years'  desultory  wandering  in 
and  about  and  over  this  "  mystic  "  region. 

Raynolds'  report,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  the 
first  official  recognition  in  any  form  of  the  probable 
existence  of  extensive  volcanic  phenomena  in  the  re- 
gion of  the  Upper  Yellowstone.  Had  it  been1  pub- 
lished immediately  after  the  expedition,  and  had  not 
public  attention  been  totally  engrossed  with  other 
matters  of  overshadowing  importance,  this  region  must 
have  become  fully  known  in  the  early  Sixties.  But 
within  a  month  after  the  return  of  Captain  Raynolds 
to  civilization  there  had  taken  place  the  national 
election  which  was  the  signal  for  attempted  armed 
disruption  of  the  Union.  A  year  later  found  every 
officer  of  the  Army  called  to  new  fields  of  duty. 
"Western  exploration  entirely  ceased  until  1865,  and 
was  not  vigorously  resumed  for  some  years  thereafter. 
Captain  Raynolds'  report  did  not  appear  until  1868, 
although  his  map  was  published  several  years  earlier 
in  order  to  meet  a  demand  for  it  by  the  new  settlers 


64  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

in  western  Montana*  Nothing  transpired  in  the 
meantime  to  make  the  general  public  familiar  with 
this  region,  and  the  picture  here  given  is  therefore 
substantially  correct  down  to  the  date  of  the  cele- 
brated Washburn  expedition. 


GOLD     IN    MONTANA.  65 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

GOLD    IN    MONTANA. 

Perhaps  the  most  fascinating  pages  of  American 
history  are  those  which  recount  the  annals  of  the  dis- 
coveries of  gold  and  silver.  No  one  can  appreciate 
the  magnitude  of  those  various  movements  by  a 
simple  perusal  of  statistics  of  the  mineral  wealth 
which  they  disclosed.  .He  must  pass  through  the 
mining  belts  and  note  how  almost  every  rod  of 
ground,  over  vast  tracts  of  country,  is  filled  with  pros- 
pect holes  that  attest  the  miner's  former  presence.  If 
the  trapper  carried  the  tools  of  his  trade  to  haunts 
remote  and  inaccessible,  the  miner,  with  his  pick  and 
shovel,  certainly  outdid  him.  One  can  readily  under- 
stand that,  as  soon  as  such  a  movement  should  be 
directed  toward  the  region  of  the  Upper  Yellow- 
stone, the  wonders  of  that  region  would  speedily  be 
revealed. 

The  presence  of  gold  in  the  mountains  of  Montana 
was  first  noticed  as  far  back  as  1852.  Later,  in  1858, 
the  Stuart  brothers,  James  and  Granville,  founders  of 
Montana,  discovered  gold  in  the  Deer  Lodge  Valley; 
but  they  were  destitute  of  equipments,  and  so  con- 
stantly exposed  to  the  hostility  of  the  Blackfeet,  that 
they  went  to  Fort  Briclger  in  the  south-west  corner  of 
Wyoming,  and  did  not  return  until  late  in  1860. 

It  was  in  1860  and  1861  that  the  rich  mines 
on  the  Salmon  and  Boise  rivers  were  discovered. 
In  1862  the  tide  of  discovery  swept  across  the 


66  THE    1'ELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

mountains  into  Montana.  The  rich  mines  on  Pioneer 
Creek,  the  Big  Prickly  Pear,  the  Big  Hole  River, 
Xorth  Boulder  Creek,  and  at  Bannock  and  other 
points,  became  known.  Although  there  were  scarcely 
a  thousand  people  in  Montana  in  the  winter  of 
1862-3,  the  news  of  the  great  discoveries  marshaled 
a  host  of  immigrants  ready  to  enter  the  terri- 
tory in  the  following  spring.  These  were  largely 
re-enforced  by  adventurers  from  both  the  northern 
and  southern  states,  who,  with  little  credit  to  their 
courage  or  patriotism,  sought  in  these  remote  regions 
exemption  from  the  tributes  and  levies  of  war.  The 
immigrants  were  welcomed  in  the  spring  of  1863  by 
the  news  of  the  discovery  of  Alder  Gulch,  the  richest 
of  all  gold  placers.  The  work  of  prospecting,  already 
being  pushed  with  vigor,  was  stimulated  to  an  extra- 
ordinary degree  by  this  magnificent  discovery.  Pros- 
pecting parties  scoured  the  country  in  all  directions, 
often  with  loss  of  life  through  the  Indians,  but  rarely, 
after  the  first  two  or  three  years,  with  any  substantial 
success.  Some  of  these  expeditions  have  a  partic- 
ular connection  with  our  narrative  because  they 
passed  across  portions  of  what  is  now  the  Yellow- 
stone Park. 

The  most  important  of  them  occurred  in  August  and 
September,  1863.  It  was  led  by  Walter  W.  DeLacy, 
an  engineer  and  surveyor  of  some  distinction  in  the 
early  history  of  Montana.  The  party  at  one  time 
numbered  forty-two  men,  although  this  number  did 
not  continue  constant  thoughout  the  expedition.  Its 
sole  object  was  to  "prospect"  the  country.  Evi- 
dently nothing  in  the  line  of  topographical  recon- 
naissance was  thought  of,  for  Captain  DeLacy  says 


GOLD    IX    MONTANA.  67 

*'  there  was  not  a  telescope,  and  hardly  a  watch,  iu 
the  whole  party." 

The  expedition  left  Virginia  City,  August  3d ; 
passed  south  into  Idaho  until  it  struck  the  Snake 
River,  and  then  ascended  that  stream  to  the  region 
about  Jackson  Lake.  Near  the  mouth  of  Buffalo 
Fork  a  halt  was  made,  a  corral  was  built  to  hold  the 
stock,  and  a  miners'  meeting  held  at  which  rules  were 
adopted  to  govern  the  miners  in  the  contemplated 
examination  of  the  country.  The  party  then  broke 
up  into  small  groups  and  set  out  in  different  direc- 
tions so  as  to  cover  as  much  ground  as  possible.  The 
last  four  days  of  August  were  spent  in  this  search, 
but  with  failure  in  every  direction.  This  discourage- 
ment led  to  the  abandonment  of  the  expedition. 
Fifteen  men  set  out  for  home  by  the  way  they  had 
come,  while  DeLacy  and  twenty-seven  men  resolved 
to  reach  the  Madison  River  and  the  settlements  by 
going  north.  A  day  later  this  party  entered  the  ter- 
ritory which  is  now  the  Yellowstone  Park. 

The  route  lay  up  the  Snake  River  to  its  junction 
with  Lewis  River  where  the  hot  springs  of  that  lo- 
cality were  discovered.  Here  another  separation  oc- 
curred. About  half  the  party  went  back  down  the 
river  to  re-examine  a  locality  where  they  thought 
they  had  found  some  fair  prospects.  They  soon  re- 
turned, however,  unsuccessful.  The  main  party  un- 
der DeLacy  ascended  the  hills  to  the  west  of  the 
river  to  seek  a  more  practicable  route.  They  soon 
reached  the  summit  of  the  plateau  where  they  dis- 
covered what  are  now  Hering  and  Beula  lakes,  and 
noted  their  divergent  drainage.  Thence  they  passed 
north  over  Pitchstone  Plateau  until  they  struck  the 


68  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

valley  of  Moose  Creek.  They  descended  this  stream 
for  a  few  miles  and  came  to  a  large  lake,  which  they 
supposed  to  be  tributary  to  either  the  Madison  or  the 
Yellowstone  Rivers.  To  their  great  surprise  they 
found,  upon  rounding  its  southern  point,  that  it 
drained  south  into  the  Snake.  This  is  what  is  now 
called  Shoshone  Lake. 

From  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  DeLacy  sent  a  man 
down  stream  to  examine  the  river.  This  reconnais- 
sance resulted  in  the  discovery  of  Lewis  Lake  and  the 
hot  springs  basin  there.  "When  DeLacy  resumed  his 
route,  he  followed  along  the  east  shore  of  the  lake 
to  its  northern  extremity,  and  then  ascended  the 
beautiful  open  valley  of  DeLacy  Creek.  He  crossed 
the  Continental  Divide  at  the  head  of  the  valley,  and 
camped  on  the  evening  of  September  8th  some  miles 
beyond  the  Divide  toward  the  Firehole  River.  The 
next  morning,  September  9, 1863,  he  came  upon  the  con- 
siderable stream  of  hot  water  which  flows  down  a  moun- 
tain ravine  into  the  Lower  Geyser  Basin  close  by  the 
Great  Fountain  Geyser.  The  reader  will  learn  with 
some  amazement  that  our  party  thought  little  enough 
of  this  wonderful  locality  to  pass  directly  through  it 
without  halt  or  perceptible  delay.  Before  the  camp- 
ing hour  of  the  afternoon  had  arrived,  they  were 
many  miles  away  at  the  junction  of  the  Gibbon  and 
Firehole  rivers. 

The  other  section  of  the  party,  which  had  gone  down 
the  Snake  from  its  junction  with  Lewis  River,  soon  re- 
turned, followed  up  the  river  to  Lewis  and  Shoshone 
lakes,  passed  around  the  western  end  of  the  latter 
lake  discovering  its  extensive  geyser  basin,  and  thence 
crossed  over  to  the  Madison.  This  stream  thev  de- 


GOLD    IN    MONTANA.  69 

scended  through  the  geyser  basins,  and  followed  the 
main  party  to  the  settlements. 

DeLacy  might  have  passed  into  history  as  the  real 
discoverer  of  the  Yellowstone  wonderland,  but  for  the 
fact  that  he  failed  to  appreciate  the  true  importance 
of  what  he  saw.  In  that,  however,  he  was  no  exception 
to  the  general  rule  of  immigrants.  The  search  for  gold 
with  them  so  far  overshadowed  all  other  matters,  that 
it  would  have  required  something  more  than  geysers  to 
divert  them,  even  momentarily,  from  its  prosecution. 
Although  DeLacy  kept  a  daily  journal  of  his  expedi- 
tion, and  noted  therein  the  various  items  of  interest 
along  his  route,  he  did  not  publish  it  until  1876,  long 
after  public  interest  had  been  strongly  attracted  to 
the  geyser  regions.  He  did,  howeve'r,  publish  a  map 
of  the  country  through  which  he  passed,  and  on  this 
map  he  correctly  noted  the  drainage  of  Shoshone  Lake — 
something  which  the  Folsom,  Washburn,  and  Haydeu 
(1871),  expeditions  all  failed  to  do.  He  also  noted  the 
various  hot  springs  localities  through  which  the  party 
passed.  In  a  letter  published  in  Raymond's  "  Mineral 
Resources  of  the  States  and  Territories  West  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,"  in  1869,  before  the  date  of  the 
Washburn  Expedition,  he  called  attention  to  the  ex- 
istence of  geysers  at  the  head  of  Shoshone  Lake  and 
on  the  Madison  River. 

DeLacy's  account,  as  finally  published,  is  an  inter- 
esting early  view  of  this  region,  and  is  remarkable  for 
its  general  correctness.  That  he  failed  to  publish  his 
discoveries  must  be  regarded  as  fortunate  so  far  as  the 
Park  is  concerned,  for  the  time  had  not  yet  come 
when  it  was  desirable  that  the  real  character  of  this 
country  should  be  made  known. 


70  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL   PARK. 

From  1863  to  1869  there  were  many  other  prospect- 
ing parties  in  the  region  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone.  In 
1863  one  of  these  parties,  numbering  thirty  or  forty  men, 
ascended  the  Yellowstone  and  the  East  Fork  to  the 
mouth  of  Soda  Butte  Creek,  and  thence  crossed  an  in- 
tervening ridge  to  the  next  northern  tributary  of  the 
East  Fork.  Here  all  their  horses  were  stolen  by  In- 
dians. There  were  left  only  one  or  two  mules  on  which 
was  packed  all  the  baggage  they  could  carry,  the  rest 
being  concealed  in  a  cache.  The  party  then  separated 
into  two  portions  and  prospected  the  country  for  sev- 
eral days  in  the  vicinity  of  Clark's  Fork.  They  finally 
returned,  emptied  the  cache,  and  descended  to  the  Yel- 
lowstone where  they  found  fair  prospects  near  the  pres- 
ent north  boundary  of  the  Park.  The  expedition  has 
no  permanent  interest  for  this  narrative  except  that  it 
left  the  two  geographical  names,  "  Cache  Creek  "  and 
"  Bear  Gulch." 

In  1864,  a  party  of  seventy-three  men  under  James 
Stuart  passed  from  Deer  Lodge,  Montana,  to  the  Yel- 
lowstone Valley,  and  thence  around  the  east  base  of 
the  Absaroka  Range  into  the  valley  of  the  Stinking- 
water.  The  object  of  this  expedition  was  to  punish 
the  Indians  for  outrages  of  the  previous  year,  and  also 
to  prospect  the  country  for  gold.  At  the  Stinking- 
water,  Stuart  was  compelled  to  return  home.  The 
party  then  separated  into  groups  that  gradually 
worked  their  way  back  to  the  Montana  settlements. 
One  of  these  small  parties  went  as  far  south  as  the 
Sweetwater  River,  then  crossed  to  the  Green  and  Snake 
Rivers,  and  recrossed  the  Continental  Divide  at  Two- 
Ocean  Pass.  They  descended  the  Yellowstone,  past 
the  Lake  and  Grand  Canon,  and  beyond  the  present 


GOLD    IN    MONTANA.  71 

limits  of  the  Park.     Xorris  found  remnants  of  their 
camp  debris  seventeen  years  afterward. 

In  1866,  a  party  under  one  George  Huston  left  Vir- 
ginia City,  Montana,  and  ascended  the  Madison  River 
to  the  geyser  basins.  Thence  they  crossed  to  the 
Yellowstone  at  Mud  Geyser,  ascended  the  river  to  the 
lake,  passed  completely  around  the  latter,  discovering 
Hart  Lake  on  their  way,  and  then  descended  the  Yel- 
lowstone by  the  Falls  and  Canon,  to  Emigrant  Gulch. 
Here  they  were  interviewed  by  a  newspaper  reporter, 
and  an  account  of  their  travels  was  published  in  the 
Omaha  Herald.  They  had  seen  about  all  there  was 
to  be  seen  in  the  whole  region. 

At  least  two  parties  traversed  the  Park  country  in 
1867.  One  of  these  gave  names  to  Crevice,  Hell- 
roaring  and  Slough  Creeks.  An  account  of  the  wan- 
derings  of  the  other  party  appeared  in  the  Montana 
Post  of  that  year. 

Many  other  parties  and  individuals  passed  through 
this  region  during  the  Montana  mining  craze.  Their 
accounts  appeared  now  and  then  in  the  local  papers, 
and  were  reprinted  throughout  the  country.  By  1869, 
probably  very  few  of  the  reading  public  had  not  heard 
rumors  of  a  strange  volcanic  region  in  the  Far  West. 
In  Montana,  particularly,  repeated  confirmation  of  the 
old  trappers'  tales  was  gradually  arousing  a  deep  in- 
terest, and  the  time  was  fast  approaching  when  ex- 
plorations for  the  specific  purpose  of  verifying  these 
rumors  were  to  begin. 


72  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

DISCOVERY. 

The  discovery  of  the  Yellowstone  Wonderland — by 
which  is  here  meant  its  full  and  final  disclosure  to  the 
world — was  the  work  of  three  parties  who  visited  and 
explored  it  in  the  years  1869,  1870,  and  1871,  respect- 
ively. The  first  of  these  expeditions  was  purely  a 
private  enterprise.  It  consisted  of  three  men,  and 
was  the  first  party  to  enter  this  country  with  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  verifying  or  refuting  the  floating 
rumors  concerning  it.  The  second  expedition  was 
of  a  mixed  character,  having  semi-official  sanction, 
but  being  organized  and  recruited  by  private  individ- 
uals. This  was  the  famous  "  Yellowstone  Expedition 
of  1870" — the  great  starting  point  in  the  post-tradi- 
tional history  of  the  Park.  The  third  expedition  was 
strictly  official,  under  the  military  and  scientific  de- 
partments of  the  government.  It  was  a  direct  result 
of  the  explorations  of  1870,  and  was  intended  to  sat- 
isfy the  public  demand  for  accurate  and  official  inform- 
ation concerning  this  new  region  of  wonders.  It  was 
the  final  and  necessary  step  in  order  that  the  govern- 
ment might  act  intelligently  and  promptly  for  the 
preservation  of  what  was  believed  to  be  the  most  in- 
teresting collection  of  wonders  to  be  found  in  the 
world.* 

THE    EXPEDITION    OF    1869. 

The  question  of  setting  definitely  at  rest  the  con- 
stantly multiplying  rumors  of  wonderful  volcanic 

*  For  diagram  of  routes,  see  Historical  Chart,  p.  11. 


DISCOVERY.  73 

phenomena  around  the  sources  of  the  Yellowstone, 
began  to  be  seriously  agitated  among  the  people  of 
Montana  as  early  as  1867.  An  expedition  was  planned 
for  that  year  but  came  to  nothing.  A  like  result  at- 
tended a  similar  effort  the  following  year.  In  1869, 
the  proposition  came  near  materializing,  but  fell 
through  at  the  last  moment  owing  to  the  failure  to 
obtain  a  military  escort.  There  were  three  members 
of  this  proposed  expedition,  however,  who  refused  to 
be  frightened  off'  by  any  dangers  which  the  situation 
at  that  time  promised.  They  had  already  provided 
themselves  with  an  elaborate  equipment,  and  were  de- 
termined, with  escort  or  without  it,  to  undertake  the 
trip.  The  names  of  these  men  were  David  E.  Fol- 
som,  C.  W.  Cook,  and  William  Peterson,  the  last 
named  being  a  native  of  Denmark.  Armed  with  "  re- 
peating rifles,  Colt's  six-shooters,  and  sheath-knives," 
with  a  "double-barreled  shot  gun  for  small  game;" 
and  equipped  with  a  "good  field-glass,  pocket  com- 
pass and  thermometer,"  and  utensils  and  provisions 
"fora  six  weeks'  trip,"  they  set  out  from  Diamond 
City  on  the  Missouri  River,  forty  miles  from  Helena, 
September  6,  1869. 

The  route  lay  up  the  Missouri  to  the  Three  Forks ; 
thence  via  Bozeman  and  Fort  Ellis  to  the  Yellowstone 
River;  and  thence  up  the  Yellowstone  to  its  junction 
with  the  East  Fork  inside  the  present  limits  of  the 
Park.  From  this  point  they  crossed  to  the  east  bank 
and  followed  up  the  river,  passing  through  the  many 
groups  of  hot  springs  to  be  found  east  of  the  Grand 
Canon.  On  September  21st,  they  arrived  at  the  Falls  of 
the  Yellowstone,  where  they  remained  an  entire  day. 


74  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Some  distance  above  the  rapids  they  re-crossed  to  the 
west  shore  and  then  ascended  the  river  past  Sul- 
phur Mountain  and  Mud  Volcano  to  Yellowstone 
Lake.  They  then  went  to  the  extreme  west  shore 
of  the  lake  and  spent  some  time  examining  the 
surpassingly  beautiful  springs  at  that  point.  Thence 
they  crossed  the  mountains  to  Shoshone  Lake,  which 
they  took  to  be  the  head  of  the  Madison,  and  from 
that  point  struck  out  to  the  north-west  over  a  toil- 
some country  until  they  reached  the  Lower  Geyser 
Basin  near  Kez  Perce  Creek.  Here  they  saw  the  Foun- 
tain Geyser  in  action  and  the  many  other  phenomena 
in  that  locality.  They  ascended  the  Firehole  River  to 
Excelsior  Geyser  and  Prismatic  Lake,  and  then  turned 
down  the  river  on  their  way  home.  They  were  ab- 
sent on  the  expedition  thirty-six  days. 

It  is  said  that  these  explorers  were  so  astonished  at 
the  marvels  they  had  seen  that  "they  were,  on  their  re- 
turn, unwilling  to  risk  their  reputations  for  veracity  by 
a  full  recital  of  them  to  a  small  company  whom  their 
friends  had  assembled  to  hear  the  account  of  their  ex- 
plorations." But  Mr.  Folsom  later  prepared  a  most 
entertaining  narrative  of  his  journey  which  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Western  Monthly,  of  Chicago,  in  July, 
1871.*  This  article  deserves  a  high  rank  in  the  litera- 
ture of  the  Park.  It  is  free  from  exaggeration  and 


*  It  is  only  through-  the  undiminished  loyalty  of  Mr.  N.  P. 
Langford  to  every  thing  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  Yellow- 
stone National  Park  that  this  article  has  been  saved  from  oblivion. 
The  office  of  the  Western  Monthly  was  destroyed  by  the  great  Chi- 
cago fire  of  1871,  and  all  the  files  of  the  magazine  were  lost.  Mr. 
Folsom  had  lost  or  given  away  all  copies  in  his  possession.  So 
far  as  is  known  there  is  but  one  remaining  copy  of  this  issue  and 
that  is  owned  by  Mr.  Langford.  In  1894,  Mr.  Langford  caused  the 


DISCOVERY.  75 

contains  some  descriptions  unsurpassed  by  any  subse- 
quent writer.  The  article,  and  personal  interviews 
with  the  author  and  his  companions,  had  a  strong  in- 
influence  in  leading  to  the  important  expedition  next 
to  be  described. 

THE    EXPEDITION    OF    1870. 

The  Yellowstone  Expedition  of  1870,  more  commonly 
known  as  the  Washburn-Doane  Expedition,  was  the 
culmination  of  the  project  of  discovery  to  which  fre- 
quent reference  has  already  been  made.  At  this  time 
the  subject  was  exciting  a  profound  interest  through- 
out Montana,  and  the  leading  citizens  of  the  territory 
were  active  in  organizing  a  grand  expedition.  Gen- 
eral Sheridan,  who  passed  through  Helena  just  prior 
to  his  departure  for  the  scene  of  the  Franco-German 
War,  spent  some  time  in  arranging  for  a  military  es- 
cort to  accompany  the  party.  The  project  did  not  as- 
sume definite  shape  until  about  the  middle  of  August, 
and  when  the  time  for  departure  arrived,  Indian 
alarms  caused  a  majority  of  the  party  to  repent  their 
decision  to  join  it.  Finally,  their  were  only  nine  per- 
sons who  were  willing  to  brave  all  dangers  for  the 
success  of  the  undertaking.  These  nine  were  : 

General  Henry  D.  Washburn,  Surveyor-General  of 
Montana,  chief  of  the  expedition,  and  author  of  a 
series  of  valuable  "  notes  "  describing  it.* 

Hon.  Nathaniel  P.  Langford,  who  published  a  series 
of  articles  in  Scribners  Magazine,*  which  gave  general 

article  to  be  reprinted  in  handsome  pamphlet  form,  with  an  in- 
teresting preface  by  himself,  and  it  will  now  receive  the  recogni- 
tion which  it  justly  deserves. 
*  See  Appendix  E. 


70  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

publicity  to  the  news  of  discovery.  He  became  first 
Superintendent  of  the  Park. 

Hon.  Cornelius  Hedges,  who  first  proposed  setting 
apart  this  region  as  a  National  Park. 

Hon.  Truman  C.  "Everts,  ex-TJ.  S.  Assessor  for  Mon- 
tana, whose  experience  upon  the  expedition  forms  the 
most  painful  and  thrilling  chapter  in  the  annals  of  the 
Yellowstone. 

Hon.  Samuel  T.  Hauser,  President  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Helena,  and  later  Governor  of  Mon- 
tana. 

Walter  Trumbull,  son  of  the  late  Senator  Trumbull. 
He  published  an  account  of  the  expedition  in  the 
Overland  Monthly  for  June,  1871.* 

Other  civilian  members  of  the  expedition  were 
Benjamin  Stickney,  Jr.,  "Warren  C.  Gillette,  and  Ja- 
oob  Smith.  * 

The  personnel  of  this  party  is  sufficient  evidence  of 
the  widespread  interest  which  was  being  taken  at  the 
time  in  the  region  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone. 

The  party  proceeded  from  Helena  to  Fort  Ellis,  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  where  they  were  to 
receive  a  military  escort  promised  by  General  Han- 
cock, at  that  time  commanding  the  department  in 
which  Fort  Ellis  was  located.  The  post  order  detail- 
ing this  escort  is  dated  August  21,  1870,  and  directs 
Lieutenant  Gustavus  C.  Doane,  Second  Cavalry,  with 
one  sergeant  and  four  privates,  "to  escort  the  Sur- 
veyor-General of  Montana  to  the  falls  and  lakes  of  the 
Yellowstone  and  return."  There  is  a  significant  ab- 
sence in  this  order  of  any  reference  to  geysers  or  hot 


*  See  Appendix  E. 


DISCOVERY.  77 

springs ;  and  the  discreet  post  commander  evidently 
did  not  intend  to  commit  himself  to  a  recognition  of 
their  existence  on  the  strength  of  such  knowledge  as 
was  then  available.  His  incredulity  was  indeed  largely 
shared  hy  the  members  of  the  party  themselves.  Mr. 
Hedges  subsequently  said : 

"  I  think  a  more  confirmed  set  of  sceptics  never 
went  out  into  the  wilderness  than  those  who  composed 
our  party,  and  never  was  a  party  more  completely 
surprised  and  captivated  with  the  wonders  of  na- 
ture." 

Lieutenant  Doane,  than  whom  no  member  of  the 
expedition  holds  a  more  honorable  place  in  its  history, 
has  left  on  record  a  similar  confession. 

The  party  as  finally  organized,  including  two  pack- 
ers and  two  colored  cooks,  numbered  nineteen  indi- 
viduals. Thirty-five  horses  and  mules,  thoroughly 
equipped  for  a  month's  absence,  completed  the  "  out- 
fit," and  made  altogether  quite  an  imposing  caval- 
cade. 

August  22,  1870,  the  expedition  left  Fort  Ellis, 
crossed  to  the  Yellowstone,  and  ascended  that  stream 
through  the  First  and  Second  Canons,  past  the 
''Devil's  Slide"  and  Cinnabar  Mountain,  totthe  pres- 
ent north  boundary  line  of  the  Park  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Gardiner  River.  At  this  point  they  were  within 
five  miles  of  the  celebrated  Mammoth  Hot  Springs 
which  are  now  the  first  attraction  to  meet  the  tourist's 
eye  on  entering  the  Park.  But  the  party  kept  close 
to  the  Yellowstone,  instead  of  taking  the  modern 
route  up  the  Gardinei,  and  missed  this  wonder  alto- 
gether. 

It  was  August  26th  when  the   expedition  entered 


78  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

the  present  territory  of  the  Park.  Lieutenant  Doane 
and  Mr.  Everts,-  with  one  soldier  and  two  hunters 
picked  up  on  the  way,  rode  in  advance  along  the  brink 
of  the  Third  Canon  and  across  the  high  plateau  be- 
tween the  Gardiner  and  Tower  Creek,  camping  at 
nightfall  upon  the  latter  stream.  In  the  broad  open 
valley  near  the  junction  of  the  Yellowstone  and  East 
Fork,  a  small  tepid  sulphur  spring  gave  them  the  first 
evidence  of  their  approach  to  the  regions  of  volcanic 
activity. 

!N"ext  day,  the  remainder  of  the  party  arrived.  Two 
days  were  spent  in  examining  the  beautiful  Tower 
Falls,  and — to  our  tyros  in  geyser  exploration — the 
wonderful  hot  spring  formations  to  be  seen  at  that 
point.  Here  they  also  had  for  the  first  time  glimpses 
of  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone. 

The  party  left  Tower  Creek  on  the  29th  of  August, 
and  followed  up  the  river  over  the  east  flank  of  Mount 
Washburn.  As  their  progress  lifted  them  rapidly 
above  the  surrounding  country,  a  marvelously  beauti- 
ful landscape  unfolded  itself  to  their  view.  Presently 
an  interesting  incident  occurred,  which  shall  stand 
here  in  Lieutenant  Doane's  own  language  : 

"  Through  the  mountain  gap  formed  by  the  canon, 
and  on  the  interior  slopes  some  twenty  [evidently  a 
misprint]  miles  distant,  an  object  now  appeared  which 
drew  a  simultaneous  expression  of  wonder  from  every 
one  of  the  party.  A  column  of  steam,  rising  from 
the  dense  woods  to  the  height  of  several  hundred 
feet,  became  distinctly  visible.  We  had  all  heard 
fabulous  stories  of  this  region,  and  were  somewhat 
skeptical  of  appearances.  At  first  it  was  pronounced 
a  fire  in  the  woods,  but  presently  some  one  noticed 


DISCOVERY.  79 

that  the  vapor  rose  in  regular  puff's,  as  if  expelled 
with  great  force.  Then  conviction  was  forced  upon 
us.  It  was  indeed  a  great  column  of  steam,  puffing 
away  on  the  lofty  mountain  side,  escaping  with  a 
roaring  sound  audible  at  a  long  distance,  even  through 
the  heavy  forest.  A  hearty  cheer  rang  out  at  this 
discovery,  and  we  pressed  onward  with  renewed  en- 
thusiasm." 

The  party  then  ascended  the  lofty  mountain  to  their 
right,  now  known  as  Mt.  Washburn,  and  from  its 
summit  looked  around  upon  the  vast  panorama  which 
is  now  included  in  the  Yellowstone  National  Park. 
Had  old  James  Bridger  been  present  at  that  moment, 
he  would  have  received  ample  vindication  for  long- 
standing injustice  at  the  hands  of  his  incredulous 
countrymen.  There  were  the  Canon  and  Falls  and 
Lake  of  the  Yellowstone,  with  evidence  enough  of 
boiling  springs  and  geysers  !  The  enthusiasm  of  the 
party  was  unbounded,  and  Lieutenant  Doane  exult- 
ingly  declares  that  they  were  "more  than  satisfied 
with  the  opening  up  of  the  campaign." 

The  pack-train  continued  its  course  along  the  side 
of  the  mountain,  and  went  into  camp  after  a  march 
of  only  twelve  miles.  That  evening,  Messrs.  Wash- 
burn,  Doane,  and  Hedges  went  on  ahead  of  the  main 
party,  discovering  the  extensive  mud  springs  at  the 
southern  base  of  the  mountain,  and  finally  reached 
the  verge  of  a  cliff'  beyond  which  yawned  the  stu- 
pendous canon  of  the  Yellowstone.  It  was  the  first 
real  view  from  near  by,  but  darkness  prevented  fur- 
ther examination. 

The  next  day  saw  the  arrival  of  the  party  at  the 
Falls  of  the  Yellowstone,  close  by  the  mouth  of  Cas- 


80  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

cade  Creek,  which,  with  its  Crystal  Falls,  received, 
that  day  their  present  names.  The  remainder  of  this 
day,  August  30th,  and  the  next,  were  spent  in  explor- 
ing the  canon  and  measuring  the  heights  of  the  falls. 
Messrs.  Hauser  and  Stickney  descended  the  sides  of  the 
caflon  to  thebrink  of  the  river  about  two  miles  below  the 
falls;  and  Lieutenant  Doane  and  Private  McConnell 
accomplished  the  same  difficult  feat  further  down.  It 
needs  not  to  be  said  that  the  members  of  the  party 
were  profoundly  impressed  with  the  incomparable 
scenery  of  the  Grand  Caflon,  although  their  descrip- 
tions of  it  are,  perhaps,  least  satisfactory  of  any  they 
have  left  us. 

From  the  Canon  the  party  ascended  the  now  placid 
river  amid  ever-changing  wonders.  They  passed  Sul- 
phur Mountain  and  the  uncanny  region  around  the 
Mud  Volcano  and  Mud  Geyser,  then  crossed  to  the 
east  shore  of  the  river,  and  finally  went  into  camp, 
September  3d,  on  the  shore  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake. 
Here  our  explorers  were  again  in  ecstacies,  and  not 
without  cause;  for,  seen  under  favoring  conditions, 
this  "  watery  solitude  "  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
objects  in  nature. 

After  a  day  spent  in  this  camp,  the  expedition  con- 
tinued by  slow  stages  up  the  east  shore  of  the  lake. 
Messrs.  Doane  and  Langford  scaled  the  lofty  Absa- 
roka  Range  just  east  of  the  lake,  being  the  first 
white  men  known  to  have  accomplished  this  feat,  and 
their  names  now  designate  two  of  its  noblest  sum- 
mits. 

September  7th,  the  party  forded  the  Upper  Yellow- 
stone and  traversed  the  almost  impassable  labyrinths 
of  fallen  timber  between  the  several  projecting  arms. 


DISCOVERY.  81 

on  the  south  of  the  lake.  It  was  on  this  portion  of 
the  route,  September  9th,  that  Mr.  Everts  became 
separated  from  his  party,  lost  his  horse  with  all  his 
accouterments,  and  commenced  those  "  thirty-seven 
days  of  peril,"  which  so  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  This 
unfortunate  affair  cast  a  deep  gloom  over  the  little 
party  and  seriously  interfered  with  the  progress  of  the 
expedition.  A  week  was  spent  in  searching  for  the 
lost  companion,  without  other  result  than  the  discov- 
ery of  the  hot  springs  basins  at  Hart  Lake  and  on  the 
west  shore  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake. 

At  length  it  was  concluded  that  Mr.  Everts  had 
either  been  killed  or  had  wandered  back  home ;  and 
it  was  resolved  to  wait  no  longer.  The  party  were 
surfeited  with  sight-seeing,  and  believed  that  they  had 
now  covered  the  whole  ground.  They  therefore  de- 
termined to  strike  across  the  mountains  to  the  Madison 
and  follow  that  stream  to  the  settlements.  They  set 
out  on  the  morning  of  September  17th,  over  rugged 
hills  and  through  fallen  timber,  crossing  the  Conti- 
nental Divide  twice,  and  camping  that  night  in  an 
open  glade  on  a  small  branch  of  the  Firehole.  While 
passing  the  second  time  over  the  Divide^  they  caught 
a  glimpse  of  Shoshone  Lake  and  erroneously  thought 
it  to  be  the  head  of  the  Firehole  River. 

At  9  A.  M.,  September  18th,  the  march  was  resumed. 
The  party  soon  reached  the  Firehole  just  above  Kepler 
Cascade  and  thence  followed  down  the  course  of  the 
stream.  Tourists  who  have  visited  the  Park  since 
1891,  when  the  new  road  from  the  Upper  Basin  to 
the  Lake  was  opened,  will  remember  that  immediately 
after  leaving  "  Old  Faithful  "  they  plunge  into  an  un- 
broken pine  forest  and  see  no  other  evidences  of 


82  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

geyser  action  until  they  reach  the  Lake.  The  situa- 
tion of  our  homeward-bound  explorers  can  thus  be 
easily  understood.  They  were  traveling  toward  the 
geysers.  The  dense  forest  concealed  every  thing  be- 
yond the  radius  of  a  few  hundred  feet.  In  unsuspect- 
ing mood,  bent  only  on  getting  home  to  tell  their 
wonderful  story,  and  perhaps  to  find  their  missing 
companion,  they  moved  down  the  river,  crossing  it 
considerably  below  the  site  of  the  present  bridge 
above  the  Upper  Basin,  and  suddenly  emerged  from 
the  timber  into  an  open  treeless  valley.  It  was 
nearly  noon  of  a  clear,  cool  September  day.  Directly 
in  front  of  them,  scarcely  two  hundred  yards  away, 
a  vertical  column  of  water  and  steam  was  shooting 
upward  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  into  the  air.  The 
bright  sunlight  turned  the  clear  water  into  a  mass  of 
glittering  crystals,  and  a  gentle  breeze  wafted  the 
vast  white  curtain  of  steam  far  to  the  right  across  the 
valley.  Thus  it  was  that  "  Old  Faithful,"  as  if  fore- 
warned of  the  approach  of  her  distinguished  visitors, 
gave  them  her  most  graceful  salutation  ;  and  thus  she 
bowed  out  the  era  of  tradition  and  fable,  and  ush- 
ered the  civilized  world  into  the  untrodden  empire 
of  the  Fire  King.  Little  wonder  that  our  astonished 
explorers  "  spurred  their  jaded  horses,"  and  "  gathered 
around  the  wonderful  phenomenon." 

The  party  spent  only  the  remainder  of  the  day  and 
the  following  morning  in  the  Upper  Basin ;  but  in 
that  time  saw  seven  of  the  principal  geysers  in  action, 
and  gave  them  their  present  names.*  They  then 
passed  down  the  river  through  the  Middle  and  Lower 
Basins,  but  stopped  to  examine  only  such  curiosities 


See  list  of  geysers,  Appendix  A. 


DISCOVERY.  83 

as  were  close  by  the  river.  Their  rations  were  nearly 
gone,  their  lost  companion  was  not  found,  and  the  de- 
sire to  tell  what  they  had  already  seen  was  greater 
than  the  desire  to  see  more.  They  therefore  made 
haste  for  home,  and  on  the  evening  of  September  19th 
encamped  where  the  Firehole  and  Gibbon  Rivers 
unite  to  form  the  Madison.  From  this  point  the 
party  journeyed  steadily  homeward,  conversing  on 
the  expedition  of  the  past  month,  and  planning 
how  their  great  discovery  might  best  be  brought  to 
the  attention  of  the  world. 

The  news  of  this  expedition  created  intense  and 
wide-spread  interest  throughout  the  country.  Messrs. 
Washburn,  Hedges,  Trumbull,  and  others,  prepared 
numerous  descriptive  articles  for  the  local  Montana 
papers,  many  of  them  among  the  best  that  have  ever 
been  written  upon  the  Park,  and  these  were  repro- 
duced in  every  important  paper  in  the  land.  The 
Helena  Herald,  of  October  27,  1870,  only  a  month 
after  the  return  of  the  party,  refers  to  the  extraor- 
dinary interest  aroused  by  these  articles,  so  unlike 
the  sixty  years'  indifference  which  had  marked  the 
history  of  this  region. 

These  preliminary  and  hasty  reports  were  followed 
by  more  studied  efforts.  Lieutenant  Doane's  masterly 
report  was  completed  December  15,  1870.  Besides  its 
intrinsic  merit,  it  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
official  report  upon  the  Upper  Yellowstone  country. 
It  passed  through  the  customary  military  channels 
and  was  finally  sent  to  Congress,  February  24,  1871. 
Prof.  S.  F.  Baird,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  also 
presented  the  information  gathered  by  Lieutenant 
Doane  to  the  Philosophical  Society  of  Washington 
during:  the  winter. 


84  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Messrs.  Langford  and  Trumbull  prepared  entertain- 
ing magazine  articles,  which,  however,  could  not  be 
gotten  to  press  until  the  following  May  and  June. 
But  Mr.  Langford  in  the  meantime  did  effective  work 
from  the  lecture  stand.  In  Helena,  Minneapolis, 
New  York  and  Washington,  he  told  the  story  of  what 
he  had  seen.  In  Washington,  the  Hon.  James  G. 
Blaine,  Speaker  of  the  House,  presided  at  the  lecture, 
and  in  the  audience  was  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden,  who  was 
destined  to  play  a  prominent  part  in  the  history  of 
the  Yellowstone  Park. 

From  whatever  point  of  view  considered,  this  expe- 
dition is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  our  annals. 
From  Helena  to  the  farthest  point  reached  by  the 
party,  the  route  passed  over  was  nearly  three  hundred 
miles  long.  The  region  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone  is 
perhaps  the  most  difficult  of  access  in  the  entire 
country.  Even  to-day,  it  is  an  almost  certain  place  in 
which  to  get  lost,  if  one  is  not  thoroughly  familiar 
with  wilderness  travel  and  happens  to  stray  away 
from  the  beaten  path.  In  1870,  moreover,  the  danger 
from  hostile  Indians  was  a  constant  and  formidable 
menace,  and  the  party  was  more  than  once  reminded 
of  it  during  the  progress  of  the  expedition.  But  in 
spite  of  all  these  difficulties,  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise was  so  complete,  its  incidents  were  so  full  of  ro- 
mance, and  its  results  were  so  far-reaching  and  im- 
portant, that  it  well  deserves  the  wide  attention  it  has 
received. 

THE   JOINT   GOVERNMENT   EXPEDITION   OF   1871. 

The  direct  result  of  the  expedition  of  1870  was  to 
cause  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  to  change  its  pro- 


DISCOVERY.  85 

gramme  for  the  season  of  1871,  so  as  to  give  attention 
to  the  new  wonderland  ;  and  also  to  cause  the  military 
authorities  to  send  a  well-appointed  engineer  party  to 
the  same  locality.  These  two  expeditions,  one  under 
Dr.  Hayden  and  the  other  under  Captains  Barlow  and 
Heap,  of  the  Engineer  Corps  of  the  Army,  moved  for 
the  most  part  together,  camping  near  each  other,  and 
accompanied  hy  the  same  military  escort.  Particular 
attention  will  here  be  given  only  to  such  features  of 
these  expeditions  as  pertain  to  new  discoveries. 

At  the  very  outset  of  their  journey,  they  branched 
oft'  from  the  Washburn  route  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Gardiner  River,  and  by  ascending  this  stream,  discov- 
ered the  wonderful  formations  now  known  as  the 
Mammoth  Hot  Springs.  From  this  point,  the  parties 
traveled  eastward  to  Tower  Creek ;  thence  over  Mt. 
Arashburn,  and  past  the  Canon  and  Falls,  to  Sulphur 
Mountain,  Mud  Geyser,  and  the  Lake ;  thence  by  a 
new  route  across  the  mountains  to  the  Lower  Geyser 
Basin ;  thence  to  the  Upper  Basin ;  thence  east,  across 
the  mountains  again,  past  Shoshone  Lake  to  Yellow- 
stone Lake;  thence  around  the  head  of  this  body  of 
water  to  its  outlet ;  thence  across  the  country,  by  sep- 
arate routes,  to  the  mouth  of  Soda  Butte  Creek ;  and 
thence  down  the  East  Fork  to  Baronett's  Bridge 
(which  had  been  built  only  a  few  months  before),  and 
out  of  the  Park  by  way  of  Mammoth  Hot  Springs. 

The  original  work  done  by  these  parties,  besides 
the  discovery  of  the  springs  on  the  Gardiner,  was  the 
opening  of  a  route  between  the  Yellowstone  River 
and  the  Lower  Geyser  Basin ;  the  exploration  of  the 
Lower  Basin  ;  the  mapping  of  the  shore  line  of  Yel- 
lowstone Lake,  by  Dr.  Hayden  ;  the  mapping  of  the 


86         THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

head  waters  of  the  Snake  River,  by  Captain  Barlow  ; 
and  some  hasty  explorations  in  the  valley  of  the  East 
Fork  of  the  Yellowstone,  now  called  Lamar  River. 

The  chief  value  of  these  explorations,  however,  was 
riot  in  the  line  of  original  discovery,  but  in  the  large 
collection  of  accurate  data  concerning  the  entire  re- 
gion. The  photographs  were  of  immense  value.  De- 
scription might  exaggerate,  but  the  camera  told  the 
truth  ;  and  in  this  case  the  truth  was  more  remarkable 
than  exaggeration.  Unfortunately  for  Captain  Bar- 
low's collection,  the  great  Chicago  fire  almost  entirely 
destroyed  it.  The  same  cause  delayed  the  appearance 
of  his  report  until  six  weeks  after  the  Park  Bill  was 
passed.  An  interesting  and  complete  summary,  how- 
ever, appeared  as  a  supplement  in  the  Chicago  Journal 
for  January  13,  1872.  The  report  and  collection  of 
photographs  and  specimens  by  Dr.  Hayden  were 
therefore  the  principal  results  of  this  season's  work, 
and  they  played  a  decisive  part,  m  the  events  of  the 
winter  of  1871-2. 

With  the  close  of  the  expeditions  of  1871,  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Yellowstone  wonderland  was  made 
complete.  It  remained  to  see  what  Congress  would 
do  with  so  unique  and  valuable  a  possession. 


THE    NATIONAL    PARK    IDEA,    ETC.  87 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    NATIONAL    PARK    IDEA ITS    ORIGIN  AND  REALIZATION. 

The  first  steamboat  to  ascend  the  Missouri  River  as 
far  as  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  arrived  at  that 
point  on  the  26th  of  June,  1832.  By  a  happy  coinci- 
dence it  bore  the  name  Yellowstone.  "We  are  indebted 
for  the  conception  of  the  National  Park  idea  to  a 
passenger  upon  this  boat  who  was  destined  to  become 
one  of  the  most  interesting  characters  America  has 
produced.  Every  one  bears  in  memory  those  pictures 
of  Indian  life  which  thrilled  their  youthful  imagina- 
tion with  visions  of  camping-grounds,  council  fires, 
exciting  buftalo  hunts,  and  the  wild  and  picturesque 
costumes  of  the  red  men.  Very  few,  however, 
realize  how  largely  all  that  is  best  in  these  pictures 
has  flowed  from  a  single  source.  The  name  of 
George  Catlin  is  by  no  means  familiar  except  to  the 
specialist.  His  work  reaches  the  public  eye  through 
so  many  different  channels,  and  so  often  without  any 
acknowledgment  of  its  origin,  that  the  origin  itself 
is  very  generally  lost  to  view. 

To  no  other  individual  does  the  Indian  race  owe  so 
much  for  the  perpetuity  in  history  and  art  of  its  life 
and  customs.  From  an  early  age  he  displayed  an  en- 
thusiasm for  every  thing  pertaining  to  the  aboriginal 
races  which  can  be  adequately  described  only  by  the 
word  worship.  He  abandoned  the  profession  for 
which  he  had  been  educated,  and  enlisted  his  whole 
energy  in  the  service  of  brush  and  pencil,  apparently 


88  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

for  the  single  purpose  of  indulging  this  passion  of  his 
life.     He  once  wrote  : 

"  Unaided  and  unadvised,  I  resolved  to  use  my  art 
and  so  much  of  the  labors  of  my  future  life  as  might 
be  required  in  rescuing  from  oblivion  the  looks  and 
customs  of  the  vanishing  races  of  native  man  in  Amer- 
ica, to  which  I  plainly  saw  they  were  hastening  before 
the  approach  and  certain  progress  of  civilization."* 

This  high  purpose  Catlin  followed  throughout  the 
remainder  of  his  life  with  unwavering  fidelity.  He 
visited  almost  every  Indian  tribe  in  North  America, 
gathering  sketches  and  making  descriptive  notes.  He 
also  visited  South  America,  and  afterward  spent  many 
years  in  Europe  exhibiting  his  work.  The  result  of 
his  labors  was  a  gallery  of  more  than  six  hundred 
pictures,  now  happily  forever  safe  under  the  protection 
of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  in  Washington,  wherein 
he  delineated  the  portraits  of  famous  chiefs  and  the 
scenes  and  customs  of  Indian  life.  This  work  he 
supplemented  with  the  scarcely  less  valuable  work  of 
his  pen,  leaving  behind  him  probably  the  best  popular 
description  of  the  native  races  that  has  ever  been 
written.  His  work  is  a  perennial  fountain  to  which 
students  of  Indian  themes  will  ever  resort.  Valuable 
as  it  was  considered  in  his  lifetime,  each  passing  year 
makes  it  more  valuable  still. 

Catlin's  enthusiasm  for  every  thing  pertaining  to  In- 
dian life,  and  the  grief  with  which  he  beheld  the  cer- 
tain fading  away  of  it  all  before  the  rapid  progress  of 
civilization,  suggested  to  him  the  idea  which  was  to 
find  partial  fulfillment  at  the  time  to  which  our  nar- 

*  Manners,  Customs,  etc.,  of  the  North  American  Indians.  See 
Appendix  E. 


THE  NATIONAL.  PARK  IDEA,  ETC.  89 

rativehasnow  been  carried.  In  order  to  preserve,  at  least 
on  a  small  scale,  the  native  fauna  of  America,  and  a 
remnant  of  the  Indian  races,  he  proposed  that  the  gov- 
ernment should  set  apart,  in  some  suitable  locality  of 
the  West,  a  large  tract  of  land,  to  be  preserved  for- 
ever as  a  "  Nation's  Park,  containing  man  and  beast, 
in  all  the  wildness  and  freshness  of  their  nature's 
beauty."  With  his  natural  enthusiasm  and  vigor,  he 
unfolded  his  idea,  concluding: 

"  I  would  ask  no  other  monument  to  my  memory, 
nor  any  other  enrollment  of  my  name  among  the 
famous  dead,  than  the  reputation  of  having  been  the 
founder  of  such  an  institution." 

In  the  report  of  the  late  Prof.  Joseph  Henry  to  the 
Board  of  Regents  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  for 
1871,  it  is  stated  that  Catlin  made  a  proposition  to 
the  government  in  1832  "  to  reserve  the  country 
around  these  [the  Yellowstone]  geysers  as  a  public 
park."  While  it  is  more  than  probable,  considering 
the  date,  and  the  wide  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Catlin 
with  the  traders  and  Indians  of  the  West,  that  he  had 
heard  of  the  geyser  regions,  still  there  is  not  sufficient 
evidence  attainable  to  justify  our  acceptance  of  the 
above  statement.  But  in  every  thing  else  except  the 
particular  locality,  and  the  plan  of  providing  a  reser- 
vation for  the  Indians,  Catlin's  idea  was  the  same  as 
that  finally  adopted  by  Congress. 

Although  the  project  of  creating  a  vast  National 
Park  in  the  West  originated  with  George  Catlin,  it  is 
certain  that.  Congress  could  never  have  been  brought 
to  act  favorably  upon  it,  except  under  the  influence 
of  some  extraordinarv  motive.  That  motive  was 


90  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

supplied  when  the  innumerable  unique  and  marvelous 
wonders  of  the  Yellowstone  were  made  known. 
Their  preservation  at  once  became  a  matter  of  high 
public  duty,  which  could  be  accomplished  only  by  re- 
serving from  settlement  the  region  around  them. 

Since  the  Park  was  created  and  has  to  such  a 
marked  degree  received  the  approval  of  the  people, 
numerous  claimants  have  arisen  for  the  honor  of  hav- 
ing first  suggested  the  idea.  In  truth,  no  special 
credit  for  originality  should  attach  to  the  matter.  It 
was  a  natural,  an  unavoidable  proposition.  To  those 
who  first  saw  these  wonders,  and  were  not  so  ab- 
sorbed with  gold-seeking  as  to  be  incapable  of  appre- 
ciating their  importance,  it  was  clear  that,  within  a 
few  years,  they  must  become  objects  of  universal 
interest.  It  was  equally  clear  that  the  land  around 
them  would  soon  be  taken  up  by  private  parties,  and 
that  the  beautiful  formations  would  be  carried  off*  for 
mercenary  purposes ;  in  short,  that  the  history  of 
Niagara  and  of  the  Yosemite  would  repeat  itself  in 
the  Yellowstone.  To  avoid  such  a  calamity  only  one 
course  was  open,  and  that  was  for  the  government  to 
retain  control  of  the  entire  region.  That  the  neces- 
sity of  such  a  course  should  have  been  set  forth  inde- 
pendently by  several  different  parties,  as  we  find  it  to 
have  been,  is  therefore  not  in  the  least  surprising. 

But  in  as  much  as  the  development  of  the  project 
must  have  started  from  some  one  source,  it  is  of  in- 
terest historically  to  determine  what  this  source  was. 
We  find  it  to  have  been  the  Washburn  Expedition  of 
1870.*  The  subject  was  discussed  by  the  party  at  the 


*  Mr.  Folsom   deserves  mention   in   this  connection.     In  the 


THE    NATIONAL    PARK    IDEA,    ETC.  91 

first  camp  after  leaving  the  geyser  regions  near  the 
junction  of  the  Firehole  and  Gibbon  Rivers.  The 
date  was  September  19,  1870.  The  members  of  the 
party  were  sitting  around  the  camp-fire  after  supper, 
conversing  about  what  they  had  seen,  and  picturing 
to  themselves  the  important  pleasure  resort  which  so 
wonderful  a  region  must  soon  become.  The  natural 
impulse  to  turn  the  fruits  of  discovery  to  the  personal 
profit  of  the  discoverer  made  its  appearance,  and  it 
was  suggested  that  it  would  be  a  "  profitable  specula- 
tion "  to  take  up  land  around  the  various  objects  of 
interest.  The  conversation  had  not  proceeded  far  on 
these  lines  when  one  of  the  party,  Cornelius  Hedges, 
interposed  and  said  that  private  ownership  of  that 
region,  or  any  part  of  it,  ought  never  to  be  counte- 
nanced; but  that  it  ought  to  be  set  apart  by  the  gov- 
ernment and  forever  held  to  the  unrestricted  use  of 
the  people.  This  higher  view  of  the  subject  found 
immediate  acceptance  with  the  other  members  of  the 
party.  It  was  agreed  that  the  project  should  be  at 
once  set  afoot  and  pushed  vigorously  to  a  finish. 

As  soon  as  the  party  reached  Helena,  a  series  of  ar- 
ticles appeared  in  the  daily  papers  of  that  city  describ- 
ing the  late  expedition,  and  in  one  of  these,  written 
by  Mr.  Hedges  and  published  in  the  Helena  Herald 
November  9,  1870,  occurs  what  is  believed  to  be  the 
first  public  reference  to  the  Park  project. 

manuscript  of  his  article  in  the  Western  Monthly  was  a  reference  to 
the  Park  idea ;  but  the  publishers  cut  out  a  large  part  of  his  pa- 
per, giving  only  the  descriptions  of  the  natural  wonders,  and  this 
reference  was  cut  out  with  the  rest.  Mr.  Folsom  also  suggested 
the  idea  to  General  Washburn,  of  which  fact  Mr.  N.  P.  Langford 
is  still  a  living  witness.  From  Mr.  Folsom's  suggestion,  however,, 
as  from  Mr.  C'atliti's,  no  direct  result  can  be  traced. 


92         THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

The  next  mention  of  the  subject  was  in  Mr.  Lang- 
ford's  lecture,  delivered,  as  already  related,  in  Wash- 
ington, January  19,  1871 ;  in  New  York,  January  21, 
1871;  and  at  a  later  date  in  Minneapolis.  At  each 
of  these  places  he  closed  his  lecture  with  a  reference 
to  the  importance  of  setting  apart  this  region  as  a 
National  Park.  The  New  York  Tribune  of  January 
23,  1871,  thus  quotes  Mr.  Langford: 

"  This  is  probably  the  most  remarkable  region  of 
natural  attractions  in  the  world ;  and,  while  we  al- 
ready have  our  Niagara  and  Yosemite,  this  new  field 
of  wonders  should  be  at  once  withdrawn  from  occu- 
pancy, and  set  apart  as  a  public  National  Park  for 
the  enjoyment  of  the  American  people  for  all  time." 

Such  is  the  origin  of  the  idea  which  has  found  re- 
alization in  our  present  Yellowstone  Park.  The  his- 
tory of  the  Act  of  Dedication,  by  which  the  Park  was 
created,  may  be  briefly  told.  The  general  plan  for  a 
vigorous  prosecution  of  the  project  was  arranged  in 
Helena,  Montana,  mainly  by  Nathaniel  ^.  Langford, 
Cornelius  Hedges,  and  William  II.  Clagett,  who  had 
just  been  elected  delegate  to  Congress  from  Montana, 
and  who  had  already^  himself  independently  urged  the 
importance  of  converting  this  region  into  a  public 
park.  Mr.  Langford  went  to  Washington  when  Con- 
gress convened,  and  he  and  Mr.  Clagett  drew  the 
Park  Bill,  except  as  to  description  of  boundaries,  which 
was  furnished  by  Dr.  Hayden.  The  bill  was  intro- 
duced in  the  House  by  Mr.  Clagett,  December  18, 
1871.  Senator  Pomeroy,  of  Kansas,  had  expressed  a 
desire  to  perform  a  like  service  in  the  Senate,  and  ac- 
cordingly Mr.  Clagett,  as  soon  as  he  had  presented  the 
measure  to  the  House,  took  a  copy  to  the  Senate 


THE    NATIONAL    PARK    IDEA,  ETC.  93 

chamber  and  gave  it  to  Senator  Pomeroy,  who  imme- 
diately introduced  it.  In  each  House  it  was  referred 
to  the  Committee  on  Public  Lands.  In  the  Senate  no 
formal  report  was  prepared.  In  the  House  the  Hon. 
Mark  H.  Dunnell,  of  Minnesota,  chairman  of  the 
sub-committee  having  the  bill  in  charge,  addressed  a 
letter  under  date  of  January  27, 1872,  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  asking  his  opinion  upon  the  proposed 
measure.  The  Secretary  replied,  under  date  of  Jan- 
nary  29th,  fully  indorsing  the  project,  and  submitting 
a  brief  report  by  Dr.  Hayden,  which  forcibly  pre- 
sented all  the  main  features  of  the  case. 

The  bill,  being  thus  before  Congress,  was  put 
through  mainly  by  the  efforts  of  three  men,  Dr.  F.  V. 
Hayden,  N.  P.  Langford,  and  Delegate  William  II. 
Clagett.  Dr.  Hayden  occupied  a  commanding  posi- 
tion in  this  work,  as  representative  of  the  government 
in  the  explorations  of  1871.  He  was  thoroughly  fa- 
miliar with  the  subject,  and  was  equipped  with  an 
exhaustive  collection  of  photographs  and  specimens 
gathered  the  previous  summer.  These  were  placed 
on  exhibition,  and  were  probably  seen  by  all  members 
of  Congress.  They  did  a  work  which  no  other  agency 
could  do,  and  doubtless  convinced  every  one  who  saw 
them  that  the  region  where  such  wonders  existed 
should  be  carefully  preserved  to  the  people  forever. 
Dr.  Haj'den  gave  to  the  cause  the  energy  of  a  genuine 
enthusiasm,  and  his  work  that  winter  will  always  hold 
a  prominent  place  in  the  history  of  the  Park. 

Mr.  Langford,  as  already  stated,  had  publicly  advo- 
cated the  measure  in  the  previous  winter.  He  had 
rendered  service  of  the  utmost  importance,  through 
his  publications  in  Scnbner's  Magazine  in  the  preceding 


94  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

May  and  June.  Four  hundred  copies  of  these  maga- 
zines were  brought  and  placed  upon  the  desks  of  mem- 
bers of  Congress  on  the  days  when  the  measure  was 
to  be  brought  to  vote.  During  the  entire  winter,  Mr. 
Langford  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  the  promotion 
of  this  work. 

The  Hon.  "William  H.  Clagett,  as  delegate  from  the 
Territory  most  directly  interested  in  the  passage  of  the 
bill,  took  an  active  personal  part  in  its  advocacy  from 
beginning  to  end. 

Through  the  efforts  of  these  three  gentlemen,  and 
others  less  conspicuously  identified  with  the  work, 
this  measure  received  perhaps  the  most  thorough  can- 
vass of  any  bill  that  has  ever  passed  Congress.  All 
the  members  were  personally  visited  and,  with  few 
exceptions,  won  to  the  cause.  The  result  was  a  prac- 
tical unanimity  of  opinion  when  the  measure  came  to  a 
vote.  This  first  took  place  in  the  Senate,  the  bill 
being  passed  by  that  body  January  30th.  It  was  warmly 
supported  upon  its  passage  by  several  members  and  op- 
posed by  one,  Senator  Cole,  of  California ;  a  fact  the 
more  remarkable  because  that  Senator  had  in  his  own 
state — in  the  preemption  by  private  parties  of  the 
Yosemite  wonderland — the  most  convincing  example 
possible  of  the  wisdom  of  such  a  measure  as  that 
proposed. 

The  Senate  bill  came  up  from  the  Speaker's  table 
in  the  House  of  Representatives,  February  27th.  Mr. 
Dunnell  stated  that  the  Committee  on  Public  Lands 
had  instructed  him  to  ask  the  House  to  pass  the  Senate 
bill.  Hon.  H.  L.  Dawes,  of  Massachusetts,  warmly  ad- 
vocated the  measure,  which  was  then  passed  by  a  de- 


THE   NATIONAL    PARK    IDEA,    ETC.  95 

cisive  vote.*  The  bill  received  the  President's  sig- 
nature March  1,  1872. 

This  subject  has  been  treated  somewhat  in  detail  be- 
cause there  has  long  been  a  false  impression  among  the 
people  as  to  who  it  was  that  first  put  forward  this  im- 
portant project.  To  no  individual  is  the  public  more 
indebted  for  the  creation  of  the  Park  than  to  Dr.  F.  V. 
Hayden,  who  was  long  prominently  connected  with  the 
geological  surveys  of  the  government.  But  he  did  not, 
as  is  generally  supposed,  originate  the  idea.  His 
statement  in  his  report  for  1878,  Vol.  II,  p.  xvii, 
that,  "  so  far  as  is  now  known,  the  idea  of  setting 
apart  a  large  tract  about  the  sources  of  the  Yellow- 
stone River,  as  a  National  Park,  originated  with  the 
writer,"  is  entirely  erroneous;  and  there  is  the  less 
excuse  for  the  error  in  that  Dr.  Hayden  had  himself 
heard  the  measure  advoqated  by  Mr.  Langford  in  his 
Washington  lecture.  In  fact,  he  is  known  to  have 
said  in  later  years,  only  a  short  time  before  his  death, 
while  residing  in  Philadelphia,  that  when  the  project 
was  first  talked  of  among  the  members  of  his  party, 
in  the  summer  of  1871,  he  personally  disapproved  it 
because  he  doubted  the  practicability  of  adequately 
guarding  so  vast  a  region  ;  but  that,  upon  further  re- 
flection, he  became  converted  to  the  measure  and  was 
thereafter  its  most  ardent  advocate. 

But  it  is  not  so  much  actual  facts,  as  what  men  be- 
lieve these  facts  to  be,  that  controls  human  action  ; 
and  it  is  unquestionably  true  that  the  above  quota- 
tion correctly  expresses  the  views  of  the  great  majority 


*  No  yea  and  nay  vote  was  taken  in  the  Senate.    The  vote  in 
the  House  was— yeas,  115:  nays,  65;  not  voting,  60. 


96  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

of  members  of  Congress  when  the  Park  measure  was. 
before  that  body.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  Dr. 
llayden's  influence,  as  the  official  representative  of  the 
government,  was  a  controlling  factor  in  the  passage 
of  that  measure. 

Perhaps  no  act  of  our  national  Congress  has  re- 
ceived such  general  approbation  at  home  or  such  pro- 
fuse commendation  from  foreigners  as  that  creating 
the  Yellowstone  National  Park. '  The  lapse  of  twenty 
years  has  only  served  to  confirm  and  extend  its  im- 
portance ;  and  to  give  additional  force  to  the  senti- 
ment so  well  expressed  by  the  Earl  of  Dunraven 
when  he  visited  the  Park  in  1874 : 

"All  honor  then  to  the  United  States  for  having  be- 
queathed as  a  free  gift  to  man  the  beauties  and  curi- 
osities of  '  Wonderland.'  It  was  an  act  worthy  of  a 
great  nation,  and  she  will  t  have  her  reward  in  the 
praise  of  the  present  army  of  tourists,  no  less  than  in 
the  thanks  of  the  generations  of  them  yet  to  come."* 

It  was  a  notable  act,  not  only  on  account  of  the 
transcendent  importance  of  the  territory  it  was  de- 
signed to  protect,  but  because  it  was  a  marked  inno- 
vation in  the  traditional  policy  of  governments. 
From  time  immemorial  privileged  classes  have  been 
protected  by  law  in  the  withdrawal,  for  their  exclusive 
enjoyment,  of  immense  tracts  for  forests,  parks  and 
game  preserves.  But  never  before  was  a  region  of 
such  vast  extent  as  the  Yellowstone  Park  set  apart 
for  the  use  of  all  the  people  without  distinction  of 
rank  or  wrealth. 

The  example  thus  set  by  the  United  States  has  been, 

*  Page  xi,  "  The  Great  Divide."     See  Appendix  E. 


THE    NATIONAL    PARK    IDEA,    ETC.  97 

widely  followed.  We  have  now  the  Yosemite  and 
Sequoia  National  Parks,  and  numerous  parks  upon 
the  sites  of  great  battlefields.  The  State  of  New 
York  has  a  Niagara  Park  and  contemplates  setting 
apart  a  portion  of  the  Adirondae  region.  Minnesota 
has  the  Itasca  State  Park,  including  the  sources  of 
the  Mississippi.  Canada  also  has  a  public  park  at 
Niagara,  and  a  large  reservation  in  the  midst  of  the 
finest  scenery  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  New  Zealand 
has  set  a  part  for  public  use  the  region  of  her  hot 
springs  and  geysers.  Finally  the  question  is  being 
mooted  of  reserving  a  vast  tract  of  Africa  wherein 
the  large  game  of  that  continent  may  be  kept  from 
annihilation. 


98  THE   YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

WHY   SO    LONG     UNKNOWN? 

There  is  no  more  singular  fact  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone  country  than  its 
long  immunity  from  the  presence  of  white  men. 
From  the  date  when  Lewis  and  Clark  first  stood  at 
the  Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri,  less  than  one 
hundred  miles  distant  from  this  notable  region,  sixty- 
five  years  elapsed  before  it  was  fully  known.  In  the 
meantime  all  the  surrounding  country  had  been 
thoroughly  explored.  Cities,  villages,  farms  and 
highways  had  been  established  throughout  the  west. 
A  railroad  had  been  built  across  the  continent.  But 
around  the  head  waters  of  the  Yellowstone,  the  most 
attractive  region  of  all,  it  was  still  terra  incognita. 
A  fact  so  remarkable  requires  adequate  explanation. 

The  most  difficult  feature  of  the  question  is  the 
fact  that  no  knowledge  of  this  region  appears  ever  to 
have  been  derived  from  the  Indians.  Lewis  and 
Clark  were  told  of  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri, 
and  of  other  notable  geographical  features,  long  be- 
fore they  saw  them.  But  of  the  far  more  wonderful 
falls  of  the  Yellowstone,  of  the  great  lake  in  the 
mountains,  or  of  the  marvelous  volcanic  phenomena 
in  the  same  neighborhood,  they  received  no  hint. 
There  is  not  a  single  instance  on  record,  so  far  as  we 
can  discover,  except  in  the  meager  facts  noted  in  an 
earlier  chapter,  where  rumors  of  this  strange  country 
appear  to  have  fallen  from  the  lips  of  Indians.  And 


WHY    SO  LONG    UNKNOWN  ?  99 

yet  it  was  not  a  region  unknown  to  them,  for  they 
had  certainly  passed  back  and  forth  across  it  for  a 
long  period  in  the  past.  Their  deep  silence  concern- 
ing it  is  therefore  no  less  remarkable  than  mysterious. 

But  how  was  it  that  the  long  period  of  the  fur  trade 
should  have  passed  without  disclosing  this  country  ? 
To  this  question  a  more  satisfactory  answer  may  be 
returned.  The  Upper  Yellowstone  country  was  in- 
deed, as  we  have  seen,  frequently  visited  in  these  early 
years.  But  it  was  never  favorite  territory.  Old  trap- 
pers say  that,  although  it  abounded  in  beaver,  they 
were  not  so  plentiful  as  in  lower  altitudes,  while  on  the 
streams  impregnated  with  mineral  matter,  the  furs 
were  not  so  good.  The  seasons  also  were  unpropi- 
tious.  The  winter  snows  were  so  deep — they  came  so 
early  and  remained  so  late — that  little  could  be  done 
there  except  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  middle 
of  September.  But  furs  taken  during  the  summer 
months  are  of  inferior  quality,  and  there  was  conse- 
quently no  inducement  to  trap.  Moreover  it  was 
generally  at  this  time  that  the  gatherings  at  posts  and 
rendezvous  took  place,  and  after  these  were  over  but 
little  time  remained.  Causes  like  these  prevented  ex- 
tensive operations  in  this  region,  and  doubtless  only  a 
comparatively  small  number  of  trappers  ever  saw  it. 

Then,  the  interest  of  the  trader  was  against  the  dis- 
semination of  any  knowledge  which  might  induce 
immigration  and  hasten  the  certain  ruin  of  his  occu- 
pation. The  stress  of  competition  also  caused  him  to 
remain  silent  concerning  the  places  he  had  seen,  lest 
a  rival  should  profit  thereby.  He  took  no  pains  to  re- 
veal the  country,  and  the  trappers  were  too  illiterate 
to  do  so  had  they  wished.  "With  the  one  notable  ex- 


100  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

ception  which  has  been  mentioned  in  a  previous  chap- 
ter, no  important  press  notice  of  these  regions  ap- 
peared during  the  entire  sixty-five  years. 

The  fur  business  itself  quickly  ran  its  course,  and 
with  it  disappeared  all  probability  of  an  early  discovery 
of  the  geyser  regions  from  this  cause.  The  war  with 
Mexico  followed,  with  the  vast  cession  of  territory 
which  it  secured.  Then  came  the  highly  important 
discovery  of  gold  in  California.  Already  the  Mormon 
emigration  had  taken  place.  These  great  events  com- 
pletely changed  the  character  and  purpose  of  western 
exploration.  The  whole  west  was  forgotten  excepting 
only  California  and  the  Salt  Lake  Valley,  and  the 
routes  leading  to  them.  None  of  these  led  close  to 
the  geyser  regions.  On  the  north  were  the  British 
fur  trader's  route,  and  the  Missouri  River  route,  both 
of  which  led  directly  west  to  the  Columbia.  To  the 
south  was  the  great  thoroughfare  along  the  Platte 
River  and  though  South  Pass,  leading  to  Utah,  Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon.  Still  further  south  were  the  long 
known  routes  near  the  border  of  Old  Mexico.  It  was 
hopelessly  improbable  that  gold  seekers  bound  to  the 
Pacific  Coast  along  any  of  these  routes  would  stray 
into  the  mountain  fastnesses  about  the  sources  of  the 
Yellowstone. 

Finally  the  whole  energy  of  the  government  in  the 
field  of  exploration  was  directed  away  from  this  re- 
gion. In  the  period  from  1804-6,  the  date  of  Lewis 
and  Clark's  expedition,  to  1870,  the  date  of  the  real 
discovery  of  the  Park,  there  were  no  fewer  than  one 
hundred  and  ten  explorations  in  the  country  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  nearly  all  of  which  had  government 
authority,  and  were  conducted  on  a  scientific  basis. 


WHY    SO    LONG    UNKNOWN?  101 

•Of  these,  eighty  four  were  in  the  territory  lately  ac- 
quired from  Mexico,  and  mostly  in  the  far  south  and 
west.  Nineteen  were  east  of  the  Bighorn  Mountains, 
five  north  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  only  two  in  the 
region  about  the  Upper  Yellowstone.  Of  these  two 
expeditions  one  was  that  of  Lewis  and  Clark,  and  was 
in  no  wise  intended  to  explore  the  Upper  Yellowstone 
further  than  might  be  necessary  to  find  a  good  route 
to  the  Pacific.  This  leaves  but  a  single  expedition  of 
the  whole  number,  that  of  Captain  Raynolds,  which 
was  directed  to.  this  specific  territory.  How  the  pur- 
pose of  this  expedition  was  defeated  by  the  heavy 
snow  in  the  mountains  and  by  the  solar  eclipse  of 
1860,  has  been  elsewhere  related. 

And  so  it  came  about  that  it  was  the  gold-seeker 
who  finally  revealed  the  well-kept  secret  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone. Itself  destitute  of  mineral  wealth,  this  re- 
gion could  not  escape  the  ubiquitous  prospector.  It 
was  not,  indeed,  by  him  that  it  was  publicly  pro- 
claimed to  the  world.  He  cared  little  for  any  coun- 
try that  was  destitute  of  "  color"  or  "  pay."  But  the 
hints  he  dropped  put  others  on  the  track  and  opened 
the  door  to  real  discovery. 

This  fact  of  long  delay  in  the  discovery  of  the  Upper 
Yellowstone  is  the  most  important  in  its  history.  Had 
it  been  known  at  an  earlier  date,  its  fate  would  have 
been  deplorably  different.  The  period  of  the  fur 
traders  was  too  early  for  the  interest  of  the  people  to 
demand,  or  the  power  of  the  government  to  enforce, 
its  protection.  If  Captain  Raynolds  had  discovered 
it,  all  its  most  valuable  tracts  would  have  been  pre- 
empted long  before  the  government  would  have  been 
:able  to  give  it  attention.  Fortunately,  the  discovery 


102  THE   YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

was  delayed  until  there  was  a  considerable  popula- 
tion in  the  country  near  by,  and  the  government  waa 
prepared  actively  to  consider  the  matter.  Before 
settlers  could  establish  a  permanent  foothold,  the 
Park  was  created,  and  all  the  vexatious  obstacles, 
which  might  otherwise  have  defeated  the  project,, 
were  avoided. 


LATER    EXPLORATIONS.  103 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LATER    EXPLORATIONS. 

As  soon  as  the  remarkable  character  of  the  country 
about  the  sources  of  the  Yellowstone  became  gen- 
erally known,  there  was  a  rush  of  explorers  to  its 
borders.  Every  expedition  that  could  possibly  ex- 
tend the  field  of  its  labors  in  that  direction  did  so, 
and  there  was  scarcely  a  summer  during  the  next 
twent}*  years  that  the  Park  was  not  the  scene  of  some 
official  exploration  or  visit. 

By  far  the  most  important  of  these  were  the  various 
expeditions  under  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey. Dr.  Hayden  was  again  in  the  country  with  two 
parties  in  1872,  and  very  widely  extended  the  range 
of  observations  of  the  previous  year.  In  1878,  survey 
parties  again  entered  the  Park  and  resumed  work 
there  on  a  much  more  minute  and  extensive  scale. 
The  result  of  that  year's  explorations  appeared  in 
1883  in  the  form  of  an  elaborate  report  by  Dr.  Hay- 
den  and  his  co-workers,  which  entered  with  much 
detail  into  the  more  important  subjects  of  scientific 
interest.  It  was  embellished  with  a  great  number  of 
engravings  and  colored  plates,  and  with  an  exhaustive 
series  of  topographical  and  geological  maps.  The 
work  was  again  taken  up  in  1883,  and  was  continued 
for  several  years.  All  questions  of  scientific  import- 
ance were  investigated  more  thoroughly  than  ever 
before,  and  many  valuable  official  reports  and  mono- 


104  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

graphs,  together  with  a  superb  map,  have  been  the 
result. 

In  1872,  General  John  Gibbon,  U.  S.  A.,  with  a 
considerable  party,  made  a  tour  of  the  Park,  passing 
by  the  usual  route  from  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  via 
Mt.  Washburn,  the  Grand  Canon,  and  the  Lake,  to 
the  Firehole  Geyser  Basins.  On  his  way  home  he  at- 
tempted to  ascend  the  north  Fork  of  the  Madison, 
following  an  old  trail ;  but  he  abandoned  the  attempt 
after  going  a  few  miles.  His  name,  which  was  given 
to  the  river,  has  also  attached  to  many  other  features 
along  that  valley. 

In  1873,  Captain  William  A.  Jones,  of  the  Corps  of 
Engineers,  passed  through  the  Park  as  part  of  a  more 
extended  reconnaissance.  He  was  the  first  to  carry  a 
party  through  the  "impassable barrier"  of  the  Absa- 
roka  Range.  Jones  Creek,  just  east  of  the  northern 
portion  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  shows  where  the 
party  entered  the  Park.  From  the  Lake  the  expedi- 
tion passed  down  the  east  bank  of  the  river  to  the 
valley  of  Junction  Butte ;  thence  west  to  Mammoth 
Hot  Springs ;  thence  back  over  the  usual  trail  via 
Tower  Creek,  Mt.  Washburn,  the  Grand  Cafion  and 
Mud  Geyser,  to  the  Lower  Geyser  Basin ;  thence  via 
the  Upper  Basin  to  the  west  shore  of  the  Yellowstone 
Lake  ;  thence  to  the  Upper  Yellowstone  River ;  thence 
through  Two-Ocean  Pass  and  Two-Gwo-Tee  Pass  to 
the  valley  of  Wind  River.  The  chief  results  of  this 
expedition,  in  the  line  of  original  discovery,  were  the 
passage  of  the  Absaroka  Range,  the  verification  of 
the  traditional  "  Two-Ocean  Water,"  between  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  Creeks,  in  Two-Ocean  Pass,  and  the  dis- 


LATER   EXPLORATIONS.  105 

covery  of  the  extremely  easy  pass  (Two-Gwo-Tee*) 
over  the  Continental  Divide,  between  the  Snake  and 
Wind  Rivers.  Prof.  Theodore  B.  Comstock  accom- 
panied the  expedition  as  geologist.  A  valuable  report 
of  the  reconnaissance  appeared  in  1875.f 

In  1875,  Captain  William  Ludlow,  of  the  Corps  of 
Engineers,  made  a  reconnaissance  from  Carroll,  Mon- 
tana, on  the  Missouri  River,  to  the  Yellowstone  Park 
and  return.  In  the  Park  he  followed  the  previously 
traveled  routes  and  developed  little  in  the  line  of  orig- 
inal discovery.  He  succeeded,  however,  in  obtaining 
a  very  accurate  measurement  of  the  height  of  the 
Yellowstone  Falls,  and  his  report  f  forms  one  of  the 
ablest  brief  descriptions  of  the  Park  extant.  Among 
his  civil  assistants  was  George  Bird  Grinnell,  now 
widely  known  as  the  editor  of  Forest  and  Stream, 
and  as  one  of  the  most  steadfast  and  watchful 
guardians  the  Park  has  ever  had. 

During  the  same  season  a  distinguished  party,  con- 
sisting of  the  Secretary  of  War,  Gen.  W.  W.  Belknap, 
and  several  prominent  officers  and  civilians,  with  Lieu- 
tenant G.  C.  Doane,  of  National  Park  fame,  as  guide, 
made  a  complete  tour  of  the  Park.  An  exceedingly 
interesting  narrative  f  of  the  trip  was  written  by  Gen. 
W".  E.  Strong,  who  was  a  member  of  the  party. 

In  1877,  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  and  staff'  made  a  tour 
of  the  Park.  His  letters  on  the  subject  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  and  the  official  report  prepared  by  Gen. 
O.  M.  Poe  of  his  staff',  form  a  valuable  contribution  to 
the  literature  of  the  Park.f 


*  So  named  by  Captain  Jones  for  one  of  his  Indian  guides, 
t  See  Appendix  E. 


106        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

In  the  same  year  Gen.  O.  0.  Howard  crossed  the 
reservation  in  pursuit  of  the  Nez  Perces  Indians. 

In  1880,  the  Hon.  Carl  Schurz,  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior, accompanied  by  Gen.  Crook  with  a  large  num- 
ber of  officers  and  soldiers,  and  an  immense  pack 
train,  entered  the  Park  from  the  valley  of  Henry  Fork 
and  made  an  extended  tour. 

In  1881,  Captain  W.  S.  Stanton,  of  the  Corps  of  En- 
gineers, made  a  reconnaissance  through  the  Park,  enter- 
ing by  the  way  of  SodaButte  Creek,  and  passing  out  by 
the  Madison  Valley.  The  most  important  result  of  his 
work  in  the  Park  was  a  more  accurate  table  of  distances 
over  some  of  the  routes  than  had  previously  been  in  use. 

In  July  and  August  of  this  year,  the  Hon.  John 
W.  Hoyt,  Governor  of  Wyoming,  with  a  military  es- 
cort under  command  of  Major  Julius  W.  Mason,  TJ.  S. 
A.,  made  an  extended  reconnaissance  to  discover  a  prac- 
ticable wagon  route,  to  the  Yellowstone  Park  from  the 
south-east.  He  entered  the  Park  by  way  of  the  Up- 
per Yellowstone,  passed  through  it  byway  of  Yellow- 
stone and  Shoshone  Lakes,  the  Pirehole  Geyser  Basins, 
the  Grand  Canon,  the  lower  end  of  Yellowstone  Lake, 
and  left  it  along  the  route  by  which  Captain  Jones 
had  entered  in  1873. 

In  the  years  1881  and  1882,  General  Sheridan,  with 
parties  of  considerable  size,  twice  crossed  the  Park 
and  visited  its  most  important  points.  His  expedi- 
tions were  of  great  value  to  the  Park  from  the  forci- 
ble warning  which  he  gave  to  the  public  concerning 
the  demoralized  condition  of  its  civil  administration. 

The  most  elaborate  expedition  that  ever  passed 
through  this  region  took  place  in  August,  1883.*  It 

*  The  vear  1883  seems  to  have  been  the  banner  year  for  dis- 


LATER    EXPLORATIONS.  107 

included  among  its  members  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  Lieutenant- 
General  of  the  Army,  a  United  States  Senator,  and 
several  other  distinguished  officers  and  civilians.  The 
interesting  part  of  the  journey  lay  between  Fort 
Washakie,  Wyo.,  and  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
at  Cinnabar,  Mont.  The  party  traveled  entirely  on 
horseback,  accompanied  by  one  of  the  most  complete 
pack  trains  ever  organized  in  this  or  any  other  coun- 
try, and  escorted  by  a  full  troop  of  cavalry.  Couriers 
were  stationed  every  twenty  miles  with  fresh  relays, 
and  by  this  means  communication  was  daily  had  with 
the  outside  world.  The  whole  distance  traveled  was 
350  miles,  through  some  of  the  wildest,  most  rugged, 
and  least  settled  portions  of  the  west.  No  accident 
or  drawback  occurred  to  mar  the  pleasure  of  the  ex- 
pedition. The  great  pastime  en  route  was  trout  fish- 
ing, in  which  the  President  and  Senator  Vest  were 
acknowledged  leaders.  The  phenomenal  "  catches  " 
of  these  distinguished  sportsmen  might  pass  into  his- 
tory as  typical  "  fish  stories,"  were  they  not  vouched 
for  by  the  sober  record  of  official  dispatches,  and  the 
unerring  evidence  of  photographer  Haynes'  camera. 

tinguished  visitors  to  the  Pr.rk.  The  list  of  arrivals  for  that  year 
includes  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  a  member  of  his 
cabinet;  the  Chief-Justice  and  an  Associate  Justice  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court;  the  General,  Lieutenant-General,  and  a 
large  number  of  other  distinguished  officers  of  the  army ;  six 
United  States  Senators;  one  Territorial  Governor;  a  prominent 
railroad  president;  the  Ministers  from  Great  Britain  and  Ger- 
many; the  President  of  the  Admiralty  Division  of  the  High 
Court  of  Justice,  England ;  three  members  of  Parliament ;  and  a 
considerable  number  of  other  eminent  personages,  both  from  this 
country  and  abroad. 


108       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

The  elaborate  equipment  of  this  expedition,  the  emi- 
nent character  of  its  personnel,  and  the  evident  re- 
sponsibility resting  upon  those  who  conducted  it,  at- 
tracted a  great  deal  of  attention  at  the  time,  and  gave 
it  a  prominent  place  in  the  annals  of  Western  W}TO- 
ming. 

To  these  various  expeditions  must  be  added  the  ex- 
tensive, though  desultory,  explorations  of  P.  W.  Nor- 
ris  during  the  five  years  that  he  was  Superintendent 
of  the  Park. 

It  has  thus  come  about  that  the  Yellowstone  Na- 
tional Park,  though  remote,  inaccessible,  and  of  great 
extent,  is  about  the  most  thoroughly  explored  section 
of  the  United  States.  Within  the  territory  bounded 
by  the  44th  and  45th  parallels  of  latitude,  and  the 
110th  and  lllth  meridians  of  longitude,  there  are 
nearly  four  hundred  geographical  names.  The  names 
of  hot  springs  and  geysers  would  probably  double  the 
number.  To  appreciate  this  fact,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  there  are  no  settlements  in  the  Park,  and 
that  counties,  townships,  cities,  and  villages,  which  on 
ordinary  maps  form  so  large  a  proportion  of  the 
names,  are  here  entirely  absent.  That  region  has  in- 
deed been  a  paradise  for  the  explorer,  the  topographer, 
and  the  geologist ;  and  its  splendid  opportunities  have 
not  gone  unimproved. 

Although  not  strictly  in  the  line  of  original  ex- 
ploration, the  few  winter  journeys  that  have  been  made 
through  the  Park  may  nevertheless  most  appropriately 
be  considered  in  this  place,  reserving  for  a  later  chap- 
ter a  description  of  the  difficult  and  hazardous  nature 
of  these  undertakings.  The  first  of  these  expeditions 
was  in  1887,  under  the  auspices  of  the  New  York 

*  See  Appendix  E— "A  Journey  through  the  Y.  N.  P.,  etc." 


LATER    EXPLORATIONS.  109 

World,  and  was  led  by  Frederick  Sehwatka,  the  Arc- 
tic explorer.  It  was  organized  on  a  grand  scale, 
"  with  Arctic  '  sleeping  bags,'  the  Norwegian  '  ski,' 
the  Canadian  '  web  '  snow  shoe,  and  toboggans  to 
carry  supplies,  photographic  equipment,  and  astro- 
nomical instruments."  But  the  elaborate  outfit  proved 
fatal  to  the  enterprise,  which  quickly  resulted  in  a 
magnificent  failure.  The  conditions  were  different 
from  those  in  Arctic  travel,  and  the  recent  fall  of 
light  snow  negatived  any  attempt  to  move  toboggans 
through  it  successfully.  The  party  consumed  three 
days  in  getting  to  Morris,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles. 
Here  Lieutenant  Sehwatka  became  ill  and  the  expe- 
dition was  abandoned. 

But  Mr.  F.  J.  Haynes,  the  well  known  Park  photog- 
rapher, who  had  accompanied  the  party,  resolved  to 
continue  the  tour  in  order  to  secure  a  collection  of 
winter  views.  Three  other  members  of  the  party  joined 
him.  They  abandoned  the  toboggan  and  strapped  the 
baggage  on  their  backs.  They  went  by  way  of  the 
usual  route  to  the  Upper  Geyser  Basin,  where  they 
were  snow-bound  for  five  days  in  a  fearful  blizzard. 
Thence  they  went  to  the  Grand  Canon,  and  from 
that  point  over  Mount  "Washburn  to  Yancey's.  On 
this  part  of  the  trip  the  party  nearly  lost  their  lives, 
wandering  for  three  days  in  a  blinding  storm  with- 
out food  or  shelter.  The  circuit  covered  about  two 
hundred  miles,  and  the  temperature  ranged  from  ten 
to  fifty-two  degrees  below  zero  during  the  entire  trip 
of  twenty-nine  days. 

In  March,  1894,  two  very  important  winter  expedi- 
tions were  made  in  the  Park.  Mr.  F.  J.  Haynes  went 
through  for  the  purpose  of  extending  his  line  of  win- 


110  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

ter  views,  and  also  of  photographing  the  Park  game. 
Accompanying  him  was  Felix  Burgess,  government 
scout. 

Following  this  party  by  a  few  days,  and  joining  it 
at  the  Grand  Canon,  came  another  party  with  a  staff' 
correspondent  of  Forest  and  Stream  This  gentleman, 
Mr.  E.  Hough,  of  Chicago,  111.,  made  the  entire  round 
of  the  Park,  studying  its  game  and  other  similar  mat- 
ters.* His  narrative,  published  in  Forest  and  Stream, 
forms  one  of  the  most  entertaining  and  valuable  con- 
tributions yet  made  to  the  literature  of  the  Park. 
These  two  expeditions  played  an  important  part  in  se- 
curing the  enactment  of  the  National  Park  Protective 
Act,  in  May,  1894. 

*  See  Appendix  E,  "  Yellowstone  Park  Game  Exploration." 


AN    INDIAN    CAMPAIGN,    ETC.  Ill 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AN    INDIAN    CAMPAIGN  THROUGH    THE    YELLOWSTONE    PARK. 

Iii  a  letter  dated  at  Fort  Ellis,  Montana  Territory, 
August  19,  1877,  addressed  to  the  Hon.  George  W. 
McCreary,  Secretary  of  "War,  the  writer,  General  W". 
T.  Sherman,  then  on  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the 
"  country  north  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,"  tells 
of  his  recent  visit  to  the  Yellowstone  National  Park. 
This  was  about  the  period  when  our  Indian  wars  in 
the  Far  West  were  at  their  height.  Only  a  year  had 
elapsed  since  the  Ouster  massacre.  It  was  the  crisis 
of  the  Indian  military  question.  There  was  at  that 
time  scarcely  a  spot  in  the  whole  Missouri  and  Yel- 
lowstone Valleys  that  was  safe  from  Indian  depreda- 
tions. Naturally,  therefore,  General  Sherman  had  his 
mind  upon  this  subject  when  his  small  party,  com- 
paratively unprotected,  were  traveling  through  the 
wilds  of  the  National  Park.  But  he  saw  nothing 
there  to  excite  his  fears,  and  in  the  letter  above  re- 
ferred to,  says :  u  We  saw  no  signs  of  Indians  and 
felt  at  no  moment  more  sense  of  danger  than  we  do 
here."  It  will  presently  be  seen  how  delusive  was 
this  fancied  security,  and  by  how  narrow  a  margin  it 
escaped  resulting  disastrously  to  the  General's  party. 

The  tour  from  Fort  Ellis  to  the  Park  and  return 
had  taken  from  August  4th  to  August  18th.  On  the 
latter  date,  the  party  met  an  ingoing  company  of 
tourists  from  Helena  composed  of  the  following  per- 
sons :  A.  J.  Weikert,  Richard  Dietrich,  Frederic 


112       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

Pfister,  Joseph  Roberts,  Charles  Kenck,  Jack  Stewart, 
August  Foller,  Leslie  Wilke,  L.  Duncan,  and  Ben- 
jamin Stone  (colored  cook).  The  party  followed  the 
usual  route  to  the  Grand  Canon  and  Falls  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone, where  they  were  in  camp  August  24th. 

As  they  were  entering  the  territory  of  the  Park, 
another  party  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  it  after  a 
tour  of  about  two  weeks.  This  party  was  composed 
of  the  following  persons,  most  of  whom  were  from 
Radersburg,  Montana :  George  F.  Cowan  and  wife, 
Frank  and  Ida  Carpenter,  brother  and  sister  of  Mrs. 
Cowan,  Charles  Mann,  William  Dingee,  Albert  Old- 
ham,  A.  J.  Arnold,  and  a  Mr.  Meyers.  They  had 
formed  a  permanent  camp  in  the  Lower  Geyser  Basin, 
where  the  Fountain  Hotel  now  stands,  and  from  that 
point  had  made  daily  short  excursions  to  the  various 
localities  of  interest.  They  all  visited  the  geyser 
basins  and  some  of  the  party  crossed  to  the  Lake  and 
Canon  of  the  Yellowstone.  They  must  have  been 
seen  by  Sherman's  party,  for  they  were  directly  in  his 
route.  The  party  had  completed  their  tour  of  the 
Park,  August  23d,  and  had  arranged  to  set  out  for 
home  early  on  the  following  morning. 

In  order  to  understand  the  unfortunate  turn  which 
the  affairs  of  these  two  tourist  parties  were  about  to 
take,  it  will  be  necessary  to  explain,  in  briefest  out- 
line, the  cause  and  previous  incidents  of  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  Indian  campaigns  in  our  history. 

From  the  time  of  Lewis  arid  Clark,  the  Nez  Perce 
Indians  had  dwelt  in  what  are  now  the  States  of  Ore- 
gon, Washington,  and  Idaho.  Their  territory  ex- 
tended from  the  Salmon  River  on  the  south  to  the 
Pelouse  River  on  the  north,  and  from  the  Bitter  Root 


AN    INDIAN    CAMPAIGN,    ETC.  113 

Mountains  westward  into  the  present  States  of  Idaho 
and  Washington.  In  1855,  they  ceded  to  the  United 
States  a  part  of  their  territory,  and  the  principal  chiefs 
located  in  the  several  portions  of  the  remainder.  In 
1860,  gold  was  discovered  on  the  reservation  and  the 
usual  gold  rush  followed.  The  danger  of  a  conflict 
with  the  Indians  became  so  great  that  a  temporary 
arrangement,  pending  action  by  the  government,  was 
made  between  them  and  their  Indian  agent,  opening 
a  portion  of  the  reservation  "  to  the  whites  in  common 
with  the  Indians  for  mining  purposes." 

But  the  settlers  did  not  stop  with  these  concessions. 
In  defiance  of  law,  they  built  the  town*  of  Lewiston 
on  the  reservation,  and  gave  other  proofs  of  their  pro- 
ject for  permanent  occupancy.  It  soon  became  nec- 
essary for  the  government  to  take  some  decisive  step, 
and  this  was  accomplished  in  1863  by  a  new  treaty  in 
which  the  Indians  relinquished  three  of  their  most 
important  valleys,  the  Wallowa,  the  Alpowai,  and  the 
Salmon  River. 

The  treaty,  however,  was  far  from  receiving  the  gen- 
eral assent  of  all  the  chiefs.  A  formidable  faction, 
headed  by  Chiefs  Joseph,  Looking  Glass,  Big  Thunder, 
White  Bird,  and  others,  refused  to  be  bound  by  it,  and 
were  henceforth  referred  to  in  official  reports  as  the 
"  Non-treaty  Nez  Perces."  For  a  time  the  authorities 
made  no  effort  to  enforce  the  new  treaty,  and  the  In- 
dians were  "tacitly  permitted  to  roam"  over  their 
ancient  hunting-grounds. 

This  condition  of  affairs  continued  for  thirteen 
years  \vith  various  efforts  in  the  meantime  to  arrive 
at  some  more  satisfactory  settlement.  Finally,  in  1876, 


114       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

a  civil  and  military  commission  was  appointed  to  visit 
the  Nez  Perce  Indians,  to  examine  into  their  griev- 
ances, and  to  determine  what  measures  were  necessary 
for  a  permanent  settlement  of  the  question.  The  re- 
port* of  this  Commission  is  interesting,  both  for  the 
facts  it  relates  in  regard  to  the  tribal  life  and  charac- 
teristics of  the  Nez  Perce  Indians,  and  for  the  heroic 
treatment  of  the  long-standing  troubles  which  it  re- 
commends. 

These  Indians  were  altogether  a  peculiar  people. 
The  early  missionaries  had  converted  them  to  the 
Christian  faith,  and,  whether  from  that  cause,  or  from 
natural  proclivity,  they  were  among  the  most  religious 
of  our  Indian  tribes.  There  is  a  general  concensus  of 
authorities  that,  despite  certain  grave  defects  of  char- 
acter, they  were,  mentally  and  morally,  far  above  the 
average  Indian.  In  later  times,  approaching  the  pe- 
riod covered  by  this  sketch,  they  fell  under  the  influ- 
ence of  a  class  of  mystics  called  "  dreamers,"  who 
taught  a  doctrine  of  land  ownership  which  was  the 
immediate  cause  of  all  their  subsequent  troubles. 
This  doctrine  was,  in  substance,  that  "the  'Creative 
Power,'  when  he  made  the  earth,  made  no  marks,  no 
lines  of  division  or  separation,  upon  it,  and  that  it 
should  be  allowed  to  remain  as  it  is;"  that  it  "should 
not  be  disturbed  by  man,  and  that  any  cultivation  of 
the  soil,  or  other  improvements,  any  voluntary  sub- 
mission to  the  control  of  government,"  were  incom- 
patible with  the  true  purpose  for  \vhich  it  was  made. 
At  bottom  it  was  the  broad  principle  that  no  man  or 
aggregation  of  men  can  take  from  other  men  the  right 
to  enjoy  what  nature  has  made  free  for  all.  Why  the 

*See  Report  of  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  1877,  part  1,  p.  607. 
See  also  Appendix  E,  "  Nez  Perce  Indians,"  etc. 


AX    INDIAN    CAMPAIGN,  ETC.  115 

Commission  should  characterize  this  doctrine  as  "per- 
nicious," unless  a  thing  is  pernicious  whenever  it  is 
impracticable,  is  not  easy  to  understand.  From  the 
point  of  view  of  the  nomadic  life  of  the  redmen,  it  is 
hard  to  conceive  a  theory  of  land  tenure,  or  the  want 
of  it,  more  nearly  approaching  a  perfect  ideal. 

Unfortunately  for  such  a  doctrine,  at  the  point  at 
which  American  history  had  now  arrived,  it  was  no 
longer  possible  of  realization ;  and  any  attempt  to  put 
it  in  force  could  not  result  otherwise  than  in  failure. 
So  it  was  with  Joseph  and  his  followers.  The  gov- 
ernment for  a  long  time  overlooked  their  infractions 
of  the  Treaty  of  1863,  but  finally  was  compelled  to 
interfere.  The  Commission  recommended  that  the 
existing  treaty  be  enforced,  by  military  aid  if  neces- 
sary. The  recommendation  was  approved,  and  to 
General  0.  O.  Howard  fell  the  task  -of  putting  the 
Indians  on  their  proper  reservation. 

For  a  time  it  seemed  that  they  would  be  induced  to 
submit  without  the  employment  of  active  force ;  but 
just  as  success  was  apparently  assured,  the  Indians 
murdered  some  twenty  white  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, in  revenge  for  one  of  their  number  killed  the 
previous  year.  Peaceful  negotiations  came  at  once  to 
an  end,  and  the  military  authorities  assumed  control 
of  the  situation.  This  was  June  13,  1877. 

Between  that  date  and  July  12th,  three  battles 
were  fought,  in  which  both  sides  suffered  severely, 
and  the  Indians  displayed  extraordinary  fighting 
ability.  They  then  left  their  country — as  it  proved, 
not  to  return — and  set  out  across  the  mountains  to 
their  oft-visited  "buffalo  country,"  in  the  Judith  Ba- 
sin, far  to  the  eastward  of  the  Upper  Missouri. 


116  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

But  their  route  lay  too  close  to  the  military  post  of 
Fort  Missoula  and  to  the  towns  in  the  more  thickly 
settled  portions  of  Montana.  They  bore  oft"  to  the 
southward,  through  a  country  with  whose  people 
they  were  well  acquainted,  and  with  whom  they  had 
often  traded  in  previous  excursions  to  the  buffalo 
country.  Here  they  found  friends  and  obtained  the 
supplies  they  needed. 

In  the  meantime,  General  Gibbon,  with  a  small 
force,  which  he  had  gathered  from  Forts  Benton, 
Shaw,  and  Missoula,  and  from  volunteers  among 
Montana  citizens,  was  in  close  pursuit.  He  overtook 
the  Indians  on  the  Big  Hole  River,  in  South-western 
Montana,  where  a  desperate  battle  ensued,  in  which 
his  own  force  was  severely  handled. 

The  Indians  then  passed  south  into  Idaho,  with 
Howard  in  pursuit,  swung  around  to  the  east,  and  re- 
crossed  into  Montana  by  way  of  Henry  Lake.  Near 
Camas  Creek,  they  had  an  engagement  with  the  pur- 
suing troops. 

Howard  arrived  at  Henry  Lake  at  8  A.  M.,  August 
23d,  just  as  the  Indians  had  left.  The  long  marches 
compelled  him  to  halt  at  this  point  for  three  or  four 
days,  to  rest  his  men  and  replenish  his  supplies.  This 
gave  the  Indians  a  considerable  start,  of  which,  how- 
ever, they  took  only  a  leisurely  advantage.  Their 
route  lay  across  the  Yellowstone  Park,  which  they  en- 
tered by  Targhee  Pass,  and  on  the  night  of  August 
23d  they  encamped  on  the  Firehole  River,  in  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  a  short  distance  from 
where  we  left  the  Radersburg  tourists,  and  less  than 
twenty  miles  from  the  camp  of  the  Helena  party. 
The  interest  of  the  campaign  for  the  next  week  cen- 


AN    INDIAN    CAMPAIGN,    ETC.  117 

ters  chiefly  upon  the  fortunes  of  these  unlucky  excur- 
sionists. 

Before  sunrise  on  the  morning  of  August  24th, 
Arnold  and  Dingee,  who  had  got  up  to  prepare  the 
camp  fire,  saw  Indians  approaching.  The  rest  of  the 
party  were  promptly  aroused.  The  Indians  at  first 
professed  to  be  friendly  and  little  alarm  was  felt ;  but 
the  party  nevertheless  had  no  appetite  for  breakfast, 
and  immediately  broke  camp  and  started  down  the 
river  toward  home.  But  they  were  soon  surrounded 
by  the  increasing  number  of  Indians,  who  began  to 
give  indications  that  trouble  was  at  hand.  They  were 
told  that  it  would  be  unsafe  to  proceed  down  stream 
further,  that  the  only  course  was  to  turn  back  with  the 
Indians.  This  they  were  soon  forced  to  do.  After 
traveling  some  two  miles  up  Xez  Perce  Creek,  it  be- 
came impossible  to  take  the  wagons  further.  The 
horses  were  unhitched  and  the  ladies  mounted  upon 
them,  and  in  this  manner  the  march  was  resumed.  At 
this  point  Mr.  Frank  Carpenter  was  induced  to  hasten 
to  the  front  in  search  of  Chief  Looking  Glass  to  see  if 
he  could  not  secure  the  party's  release ;  but  his  sus- 
picions becoming  soon  aroused,  he  refused  to  go 
further,  and  returned.  In  fact,  it  turned  out  later 
that  Looking  Glass  was  not  in  front  at  the  time  and 
that  the  pretense  that  he  was,  was  a  mere  subterfuge 
to  aid  in  scattering  the  party.  The  captives  were 
now  taken  up  the  East  Fork  of  the  Firehole  (Xez 
Perce  Creek)  to  the  foot  of  Mary  Mountain,  where 
a  consultation  with  the  chiefs  was  had.  Mr.  Cowan 
was  spokesman  for  the  whites,  and  Poker  Joe,  who 
knew  English  well,  for  the  Indians.  The  party  were 


118  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

here  set  at  liberty,  their  horses,  guns  and  ammunition 
were  taken,  they  were  given  other  horses  instead,  and, 
just  as  the  Indians  were  about  to  resume  their  march, 
they  were  told  to  depart  by  the  back  trail.  After 
proceeding  some  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  they  were 
overtaken  by  some  seventy-five  young  and  war-painted 
bucks,  and  were  compelled  to  countermarch.  It  was 
about  this  time  that  two  of  the  party  were  given  a  hint 
by  a  friendly  Indian  and  made  their  escape  in  the  brush. 
The  rest  continued  their  way  back  to  the  point  where 
they  had  been  liberated  and  some  distance  beyond  in 
the  direction  of  Mary  Lake.  Just  as  they  reached 
the  first  sharp  ascent  of  the  mountain  about  2  p.  M., 
in  the  midst  of  dense  timber,  the  attack  began.  At 
the  first  fire  Cowan  was  struck  in  the  thigh  and  fell 
from  his  horse.  His  wife  instantly  rushed  to  his  side, 
threw  her  arms  around  his  neck,  and  strenuously  re- 
sisted the  Indians  in  their  further  attempts  to  kill 
him.  But  they  partially  pulled  her  away  and  an 
Indian  shot  Cowan  again  in  the  head.  He  was  then 
left  for  dead. 

In  the  meantime,  Carpenter  had  had  a  narrow 
escape.  A  young  Indian  had  drawn  his  revolver 
upon  him,  when  Carpenter,  remembering  his  religion, 
quickly  made  a  sign  of  the  cross.  He  was  then  hid 
by  the  Indians  in  a  clump  of  underbrush  until  the 
trouble  was  over,  and  was  assured  that  the  ladies 
should  not  be  harmed.* 


*  The  Indians  denied  that  Carpenter  was  saved  because  of 
making  a  sign  of  the  cross  although  they  remembered  his  making 
it.  The  chiefs  had  strictly  enjoined  their  followers  that  the 
whites  were  not  to  be  injured.  When  the  few  lawless  bucks 


AN    INDIAN     CAMPAIGN,    ETC.  119 

The  other  members  of  the  party  scattered  promptly 
when  the  firing  began.  All  of  them  escaped  to  the 
brush,  but  one  of  them  was  wounded  in  the  at- 
tempt, and  fell  behind  a  log  where  he  lay  concealed 
until  the  Indians  had  gone. 

This  left  Carpenter  and  his  two  sisters  captive. 
They  were  taken  along  with  the  Indians,  each  being 
lashed  to  a  pony  behind  an  Indian.  The  captives 
became  separated  and  did  not  see  each  other  until  ten 
o'clock  that  night  at  the  Indian  camp  near  Mary 
Lake.  The  next  day,  August  25th,  the  march  was 
resumed,  and  the  party  were  taken  across  the  Yellow- 
stone at  the  ford  near  Mud  Geyser.  Here  Carpenter's 
fate  was  put  to  a  vote  of  the  chiefs  and  by  a  majority 
of  one  he  was  given  his  life.  In  the  afternoon,  the 
ladies  were  given  each  a  pony,  and,  with  Carpenter, 
were  escorted  by  Poker  Joe  back  across  the  river. 
They  were  then  taken  a  mile  down  stream  and  told 
to  depart — instructions  which  they  obeyed  with  no 
want  of  alacrity. 

Strange  to  say  none  of  the  party  had  been  killed. 
Cowan,  who  had  been  twice  shot,  and  stoned  also  by 
the  Indians,  when  they  saw  lingering  evidences  of 
life,  nevertheless  survived.  About  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  he  recovered  consciousness,  and  drew  him- 
self up  by  the  bow  of  a  tree,  when  lo  !  close  behind  him 
was  another  Indian-with  his  rifle  ready  to  fire.  He 
tried  to  get  away,  but  the  Indian  fired  and  the  ball 
passed  through  his  left  hip.  He  now  gave  up  hope 

began  the  attack,  some  of  the  other  Indians  interferred.  Poker 
Joe  was  sent  back  by  the  chiefs  for  the  same  purpose  when  they 
surmised  what  was  going  on.  He  succeeded  in  preventing  further 
trouble,  and  Carpenter's  escape  was  due  to  this  cause. 


120  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

as  he  fell  again  to  the  ground.  The  Indian,  however, 
did  not  come  up.  After  waiting  until  every  one  had 
apparently  gone,  Cowan,  crawled  along  till  about  mid- 
night, seeking  a  place  of  greater,  safety,  and  then 
waited  for  day.  At  daybreak  he  commenced  crawling 
back  toward  the  old  camp,  a  distance  of  eight  or  ten 
miles.  He  passed  the  abandoned  wagons  on  the  way, 
where  he  found  a  dog  belonging  to  the  party.  It  took 
him  four  days  to  reach  the  old  camp,  but  once  there 
he  found  matches,  coffee,  and  some  other  articles 
which  helped  him  to  keep  alive.  The  day  after  his 
arrival,  he  was  picked  up  by  Howard's  scouts. 

Arnold,  who  had  escaped  to  the  brush  before  Cowan 
was  shot,  and  had  wandered  for  four  days  until  finally 
picked  up  by  Howard's  command  near  Henry  Lake, 
came  along  with  the  troops  on  the  29th,  and  remained 
with  Cowan  until  their  arrival  in  Bozeman.  They 
were  taken  by  Howard  to  near  Baronett's  Bridge,  and 
then  sent  down  the  river. 

Already  Carpenter  and  his  sisters  had  made  their 
way  down  the  river,  passing  close  to  the  camp  of  the 
other  party  of  tourists  near  the  Falls — whom  they 
might  have  saved  had  they  chanced  to  see  them— 
and  were  met  by  a  party  of  soldiers  under  Lieuten- 
ant Schofield  twelve  miles  from  Mammoth  Hot  Springs. 
They  were  escorted  to  the  springs,  whence  they  went 
to  Bottler's  ranch,  some  distance  below  the  Park,  and 
a  short  time  afterward  returned  to  Eadersburg.  It 
was  about  two  weeks  before  Mrs.  Cowan  learned  that 
her  husband  was  still  alive.  After  all  these  miraculous 
escapes,  it  is  interesting  to  know  that  Mr.  Cowan  and 
his  wife  survived  to  make  another  tour  of  the  Park  a 
few  years  later  under  better  conditions. 


AN    INDIAN    CAMPAIGN,    ETC.  121 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  follow  in  detail  the  for- 
tunes of  the  rest  of  the  party.  They  all  escaped, 
though  with  much  suffering,  in  their  wanderings 
through  the  wilderness. 

When  the  captive  members  of  the  party  were  being 
marched  down  the  Yellowstone  slope  east  of  Mary 
Lake,  they  heard  considerable  firing  in  the  timber  to 
their  right.  This  is  thought  to  have  been  an  attack 
upon  two  prospectors  who  were  known  to  have  been 
in  the  neighborhood  at  the  time,  and  who  have  never 
since  been  heard  of. 

The  party  of  Helena  tourists  in  camp  near  the  Falls 
of  the  Yellowstone  on  the  night  of  August  24th,  were 
less  fortunate  than  the  Radersburg  party.  On  the 
morning  of  the  25th,  they  started  up  the  river  toward 
the  Mud  Geyser.  They  had  gone  about  a  mile  be- 
yond Sulphur  Mountain  when  they  discovered  moving 
bodies  of  men,  part  of  whom  were  fording  the  river. 
Careful  scrutiny  showed  them  to  be  Indians,  and  the 
party  rightly  divined  that  they  must  be  the  hostile  Nez 
Perces.  They  hastily  retraced  their  steps  and* went 
into  camp  in  the  timber  near  the  forks  of  Otter  Creek, 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  above  the  Upper  Falls  of  the 
Yellowstone.  Here  they  remained  undisturbed  all 
day  and  the  following  night.  On  the  morning  of  the 
26th,  Weikert  and  Wilkie  set  out  to  scout  the  country. 
They  went  as  far  as  Sulphur  Mountain,  and  finding 
every  thing  clear,  started  back  to  camp  to  report. 
When  entering  the  timber  just  north  of  Alum  Creek, 
they  suddenly  met  a  band  of  Indians  who  promptly 
opened  fire  on  them.  A  flight  and  pursuit  of  consid- 
erable duration  ended  in  the  escape  of  both  men  ;  but 


122  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

not  until  Weikert  had  been  wounded.  This  party  of 
Indians  had  just  attacked  and  dispersed  the  group  in 
camp.  They  had  stolen  upon  the  camp  as.  dinner 
was  being  prepared,  and  a  volley  of  musketry  was  the 
first  warning  the  tourists  had  of  their  presence.  There 
wras  instant tflight  and  most  of  the  party  managed  to 
get  away.  But  Kenck  was  soon  overtaken  and  killed ; 
and  Stewart  after  being  severely  wounded,  prevailed 
on  the  Indians  to  spare  his  life. 

Weikert  and  Wilkie,  who  had  hastened  back  to. 
camp  after  their  own  encounter,  found  every  thing  in 
confusion,  and  all  the  party  gone.  They  soon  fell  in 
with  several  of  them,  and  together  they  set  out  for 
Mammoth  Hot  Springs. 

And  now  began  another  series  of  wanderings  through 
the  trackless  wilderness  of  the  Park.  Two  of  the 
party  made  their  way  by  way  of  the  Madison  River, 
where  they  were  given  food  by  soldiers,  to  Virginia 
City  and  thence  to  Helena.  The  rest  of  the  survivors 
after  much  hardship  reached  Mammoth  Hot  Springs, 
and  spon  after  left  the  Park  with  the  exception  of 
Weikert,  Dietrich,  the  colored  cook,  Stone,  and  a  man 
named  Stoner. 

On  August  31st,  Weikert  and  one  McCartney,  owner 
of  the  first  hotel  ever  built  in  the  Park,  went  to  the 
Falls  of  the  Yellowstone  in  order  if  possible  to  learn 
the  fate  of  the  missing  members  of  the  party.  Shortly 
after  their  departure  from  the  Springs  a  band  of 
Indians  prowled  across  the  country  from  the  Yellow- 
stone to  the  Gardiner  and  went  down  the  latter  stream 
as  far  as  Henderson's  Ranch  near  the  present  town  of 
Cinnabar.  After  a  brief  skirmish  and  a  general  pillage 
here,  they  went  back  to  Mammoth  Hot  Springs.  Stoner 


AN    INDIAN    CAMPAIGN,    ETC.  123 

and  the  colored  cook  fled  precipitately,  but  Dietrich, 
believing  the  Indians  to  be  friendly  scouts,  remained 
behind  and  was  shot  dead  in  the  door  of  the  hotel. 
Stone  made  a  lucky  escape  by  climbing  a  tree,  and 
his  subsequent  ludicrous  recital  of  his  experience  be- 
came a  standing  jest  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Yellowstone. 

Weikert  and  McCartney  went  back  to  the  old  camp 
on  Otter  Creek,  where  they  buried  Kenck's  remains 
and  gathered  up  whatever  of  value  the  Indians  had 
left.  On  their  way  back,  when  on  the  head  waters  of 
Black  Tail  Deer  Creek,  they  met  the  band  of  Indians 
who  had  just  slain  Dietrich  at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs. 
A  lively  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  Weikert  lost 
his  horse.  The  two  men  succeeded  in  finding  refuge 
in  some  neighboring  brushwood. 

Just  as  the  Indians  went  into  camp  on  the  night  of 
August  23d,  their  first  day  in  the  Park,  they  captured 
one  Shively  who  was  on  his  way  to  Montana  from  the 
Black  Hills.  As  Shively  professed  to  know  the  coun- 
try, which  the  Xez  Perces  had  never  seen  before,  they 
impressed  him  into  their  service  as  guide.  He  was 
with  them  thirteen  clays  and  claims  to  have  served 
them  faithfully,  as  well  as  to  have  received  fair  treat- 
ment from  them.  At  any  rate  he  won  their  confidence 
by  his  behavior,  and  was  watched  so  carelessly  that  he 
escaped  one  dark  night  just  as  the  Indians  were  cross- 
ing the  north-east  boundary  of  the  Park. 

As  soon  as  the  command  at  Henry  Lake  had  be- 
come recuperated,  the  pursuit  was  vigorously  resumed. 
Howard  followed  in  the  track  of  the  Indians  as  far  as 
to  the  ford  of  the  Yellowstone ;  but  instead  of  cross- 
ing at  this  point,  he  descended  the  river  by  the  left 


124  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL   PARK. 

bank  to  the  site  of  Baronett's  celebrated  first  bridge 
over  the  Yellowstone.  From  the  Lower  Geyser  Basin 
to  this  bridge  a  road  had  to  be  opened  for  the  wagons. 
It  was  a  prodigious  undertaking,  but  was  performed 
with  astonishing  rapidity  under  the  direction  of  Capt. 
W.  F.  Spurgin,  Twenty -first  Infantry.  The  bridge 
was  found  partially  destroyed  by  the  Indians  and  had 
to  be  repaired,  after  which  the  line  of  march  was 
continued  up  the  Lamar  and  Soda  Butte  Valleys,  and 
across  the  divide  to  the  valley  of  Clark's  Fork. 

The  authorities  had  been  widely  warned  of  the 
probable  route  of  the  Indians  and  were  lying  in  wait 
to  intercept  them.  Gen.  Sturgis  expected  to  do  this 
as  they  emerged  from  the  Absaroka  Mountains; 
but  unfortunately  he  stationed  himself  in  the  wrong 
pass  and  left  the  one  which  the  Indians  took  un- 
guarded. By  this  loss  of  time  he  fell  in  behind  both 
the  Indians  and  Howard,  who  was  now  in  close  pur- 
suit. The  Indians  crossed  the  Yellowstone  September 
12th.  Here  Sturgis  overtook  them  with  a  company 
of  cavalry  and  a  slight  conflict  ensued.  The  Indians 
then  struck  north,  apparently  for  the  British  line. 
On  September  23d  they  crossed  the  Missouri  at  Cow 
Island  and  resumed  their  march  north.  But  they 
were  intercepted  by  Geii.  Miles  in  the  Bear  Paw 
Mountains  and  a  severe  fight  followed,  at  the  northern 
base  of  the  range  on  Snake  Creek,  less  than  thirty 
miles  from  the  boundary.  The  Indians  were  utterly 
defeated  and  Looking  Glass  was  killed.  Most  of  the 
survivors  surrendered  unconditionally  and  the  rest 
escaped  across  the  line.  This  was  on  October  5, 
1877. 

Since  the  first  outbreak,  June  13th,  three  months  and 


AN    INDIAN    CAMPAIGN,    ETC.  125 

twenty-two  days  had  elapsed.  The  flight  and  pursuit 
had  extended  over  1,500  miles.  There  had  been  no 
fewer  than  fifteen  engagements.  The  whites  had  lost 
6  officers  and  121  soldiers  and  citizens  killed,  and  13 
officers  and  127  soldiers  and  citizens  wounded.  A 
large  part  of  the  Indian  losses  could  never  be  as- 
certained, but  their  known  losses  were  151  killed,  88 
wounded  and  489  captured. 

This  celebrated  campaign  is  well  intended  to  elicit 
the  fullest  sympathy  for  the  unfortunate  Nez  Perces. 
A  vast  deal  of  sentiment  has  been  wasted  upon  the 
cause  of  the  red  man.  Opinions  have  ranged  from 
the  extreme  views  of  Catlin,  who  could  see  no  wrong 
in  the  Indian,  to  those  of  the  rabid  frontiersman 
whose  creed  was  "  no  good  Indian  but  a  dead  one." 
But,  if  there  ever  was  a  case  where  sympathy  might 
well  incline  to  the  side  of  the  Indian,  it  is  the  one 
under  consideration. 

The  Nez  Perces  had  always  been  friendly  to  the 
whites,  and  it  was  their  boast  that  they  had  never 
slain  a  white  man.  They  were  intelligent,  brave,  and 
humane.  In  this  campaign  they  bought  supplies  which 
they  might  have  confiscated;  they  saved  property 
which  they  might  have  destroyed ;  they  spared  hun- 
dreds of  lives  which  other  Indians  would  have  sacri- 
ficed. If  some  of  the  more  lawless  element  commit- 
ted various  outrages,  they  might  justly  reply  that  the 
whites  had  fired  into  their  tents  where  their  women 
and  children  were  sleeping.  In  short,  their  conduct 
in  this  campaign  places  them  in  all  respects  vastly 
nearer  the  standard  of  civilized  people  than  any  other 
of  the  native  tribes  of  the  continent. 

In  estimating  the  causes  that  led  to  the  war,  history 


126  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

can  not  fail  to  establish  that  the  Indians  were  in  the 
right.  It  was  a  last  desperate  stand  against  the  inev- 
itable destiny  which  was  robbing  the  Indian  of  his 
empire ;  a  final  protest  against  the  intolerable  en- 
croachments of  the  pale  face.  In  defense  of  this  prin- 
ciple, the  Nez  Perees  staked  their  all  on  a  single 
throw.-  They  lost,  and  were  irretrievably  ruined. 
They  were  transported  to  a  distant  territory,  and  the 
land  of  their  fathers  they  saw  no  more.* 

The  campaign  of  1877  was  the  only  one  in  which 
tourists  of  the  National  Park  were  ever  subjected  to 
serious  danger  from  the  Indians.  It  has  left  its  mark 
indelibly  upon  the  Park.  "  Nez  Perce  Creek  "  will  al- 
ways remind  the  traveler  of  the  terrible  danger  in 
which  another  party  of  tourists  was  once  placed  upon 
the  borders  of  that  stream.  "  Howard's  Trail"  will 
not  soon  be  effaced  from  the  forests  and  mountains 
where  Captain  Spurgin,  with  brilliant  expedition, 
built  the  first  passable  highway  through  that  tangled 
wilderness. 

In  1878,  there  was  a  slight  alarm  in  the  Park 
caused  by  an  ephemeral  raid  of  the  Bannock  Indians ; 
but,  beyond  the  loss  of  a  few  horses,  no  damage  was 
done. 


*  After  the  surrender,  Joseph  and  a  few  of  his  followers  were 
sent  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  they  remained  until  July,  1878, 
when  they  were  taken  to  the  Indian  Territory.  After  languishing 
here  for  seven  years,  they  were  established  on  the  Colville  Res- 
ervation in  Washington. 


ADMINISTRATIVE    HISTORY    OF    THE    PARK.  127 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ADMINISTRATIVE    HISTORY    Otf    THE    PARK. 

The  Act  of  Dedication  of  the  Yellowstone  National 
Park  indicates  in  clear  terms  the  purposes  for  which 
it  was  created.  These  are : 

(1.)  The  preservation  of  its  natural  curiosities,  its 
forests,  and  its  game. 

(2.)  The  reservation  of  its  territory  from  private  oc- 
cupancy so  that  it  may  remain  in  unrestricted  freedom 
"  for  the  benefit  and  enjoyment  of  the  people." 

(3.)  The  granting  of  such  leases  and  other  privileges 
as  may  be  necessary  for  the  comfort  and  convenience 
of  visitors. 

One  grave  omission  in  the  original  act,  and  the  long- 
continued  failure  of  Congress  to  remedy  it  by  subse- 
quent legislation,  in  a  large  degree  nullified  these  im- 
portant purposes.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  for  twenty- 
two  years,  or  until  the  spring  of  1894,  there  was  no 
law  defining  offenses  in  the  Park  or  providing  a  pen- 
alty for  their  commission.  Wanton  vandalism,  de- 
struction of  game,  or  burning  of  forests,  could  be 
visited  with  no  heavier  punishment  than  ejection  from 
the  Park  and  confiscation  of  "  outfit."  In  the  reports 
of  every  Superintendent,  for  more  than  a  score  of 
years,  this  condition  of  affairs  was  brought  to  the  at- 
tention of  Congress.  Meanwhile  there  were  ex- 
perienced all  the  evils  of  a  license  which  at  times 
was  wholly  unchecked  and  which  has  never  until  very 
recently  been  under  proper  control. 


128  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

This  long-standing  misfortune  was  aggravated  by 
another  scarcely  less  serious — the  failure  of  Congress 
for  several  years  to  appropriate  funds  for  the  pro- 
tection and  improvement  of  the  Park.  For  this  fail- 
ure, however,  no  one  can  justly  be  held  faultily  re- 
sponsible. The  promoters  of  the  Park  project  had 
based  extravagant  expectations  upon  the  results  to  be 
derived  from  leases.  They  believed  that  the  revenue 
from  this  source  would  amply  cover  the  expense  of 
opening  the  necessary  highways  and  providing  a 
proper  police  force.  They  did  not  make  due  allow- 
ance, for  the  fact  that  there  was  at  that  time  no  rail- 
road within  500  miles  ;  that  the  new  reservation  was 
an  almost  impassable  wilderness,  and  that  the  con- 
struction of  roads  and  bridges  must  necessarily  pre- 
cede any  profitable  tourist  business.  Neither  do  they 
seem  to  have  realized  that  these  leases  could  not,  in 
the  nature  of  things,  yield  a  revenue  commensurate 
with  the  work  of  opening  up  so  wild  and  extensive  a 
country.  The  argument  of  self-support  was  a  mis- 
taken one.  It  did  an  important  work,  however,  for  it 
is  doubtful  if  Congress  would  have  created  this  reser- 
vation had  it  not  believed  that  no  additional  public 
burden  was  to  be  incurred  thereby. 

The  subsequent  results  of  this  erroneous  impression 
were  in  every  way  unfortunate.  It  was  several  years 
(1872  to  1878)  before  any  money  was  appropriated  for 
the  Park,  which,  in  the  meanwhile,  was  left  wholly 
without  means  for  its  improvement  and  protection. 
The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  might  indeed  publish 
rules  and  regulations  for  its  government,  but  they 
could  avail  but  little  so  long  as  there  was  no  au- 
thority to  carry  them  into  execution.  In  fact,  the 


ADMINISTRATIVE    HISTORY    OF    THE    PARK.  129 

only  valuable  result  of  the  creation  of  the  Park  dur- 
ing these  years  was  the  exclusion  of  settlers  from  its 
territory. 

Shortly  after  the  Park  was  created,  the  Hon.  N".  P. 
Langford  was  appointed  its  first  Superintendent.  The 
selection  was  in  every  sense  an  admirable  one.  Mr. 
Laugford  had  been  a  member  of  the  famous  Wash- 
burn  Expedition,  and  an  earnest  worker  in  securing 
the  Act  of  Dedication.  He  was  intimately  acquainted 
with  all  phases  of  western  life,  and  was  an  enthusiast 
upon  the  subject  of  his  new  charge.  But,  from  the 
first,  his  hands  were  completely  tied.  No  money  was 
ever  allowed  him  for  his  services,  nor  for  any  other 
form  of  expenditure  in  the  interests  of  the  Park.  He 
was,  therefore,  powerless  to  accomplish  effective  work. 
His  office,  which  he  held  for  about  five  years,  was  a 
source  of  great  annoyance  to  him ;  for  he  was  fre- 
quently, and  most  unjustly,  charged  in  the  public 
press  with  the  responsibility  for  a  condition  of  things 
'  for  which  he  was  in  no  sense  to  blame. 

In  1877,  there  appeared,  as  Mr.  Langford's  suc- 
cessor, one  of  the  most  unique  and  picturesque,  as 
well  as  one  of  the  most  important,  characters  in  the 
history  of  the  Park.  This  was  Philetus  W.  Norris, 
of  Michigan.  He  was  appointed  immediately  upon 
the  advent  of  President  Hayes'  administration,  and 
held  office  very  nearly  five  years,  or  almost  exactly  the 
same  length  of  time  as  his  predecessor. 

Norris  filled  with  varying  capacity  the  roles  of  ex- 
plorer, path -finder,  poet,  and  historian  in  the  Park. 
He  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  energy,  and,  if  not  in 
the  fullest  sense  a  practical  man,  he  had  at  least  the 
invaluable  quality  of  being  able  to  produce  results. 


130        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

He  entered  upon  his  new  field  of  duty  with  a  genuine 
enthusiasm,  and  he  was  fortunate  in  receiving  from 
Congress  substantial  means  with  which  to  carry  out 
his  plans. 

The  work  of  Norris'  administration  may  be  con- 
veniently considered  under  three  heads :  his  discove- 
ries, his  road  building,  and  his  reports. 

He  was  pre-eminently  an  explorer.  He  not  only 
traveled  repeatedly  over  all  the  known  trails,  but 
he  penetrated  the  unknown  sections  of  the  Park  in 
every  direction.  Though  not  the  discoverer,  he  first 
made  generally  known  the  geyser  basin  that  bears  his 
name.  He  explored  and  reported  upon  the  Hoodoo 
region,  and  first  called  prominent  attention  to  the  no- 
ble canon  of  the  Middle  Gardiner.  But  the  most  im- 
portant feature  of  his  explorations  was  the  study  he 
made  of  the  history  and  antiquities  of  the  Park.  "We 
owe  more  to  him  than  to  any  one  else  for  evidence  of 
the  former  presence  of  white  men  in  that  region. 
His  discoveries  also  in  the  matter  of  prehistoric  races 
and  of  early  Indian  history  possess  scientific  value. 

In  the  role  of  road  builder,  Norris  was  a  pioneer  in 
the  Park.  Before  his  time,  wagons  could  get  up  the 
Gardiner  to  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  and  up  the  Mad- 
ison to  the  Lower  Geyser  Basin.  He  opened  the  way 
direct  from  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  to  the  Upper 
Geyser  Basin,  from  the  Lower  Basin  to  the  Yellow- 
stone River,  Lake,  and  Falls,  and  from  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs  to  Tower  Creek.  He  thus  shortened  the  old 
pack-train  route  by  one-third,  and  foreshadowed  the 
general  road  system  which  Lieutenant  Kingman  later 
formulated  into  a  permanent  project  of  improvement. 
As  a  road  engineer,  he  was  not  a  distinguished  sue- 


ADMINISTRATIVE   HISTORY   OF    T11E   PARK.  131 

cess.  His  work  was  ill-conceived  and  poorly  exe- 
cuted, but  at  the  same  time  it  gave  access  to  many 
places  wholly  inaccessible  before.  All  the  difference 
between  poor  roads  and  none  at  all  may  justly  be 
placed  to  his  credit. 

The  third  and  most  important  feature  of  Morris' 
work  was  his  official  reports  and  other  writings.  As 
he  was  always  doing  something,  although  seldom  in 
the  best  way,  so  he  was  always  saying  something, 
with  the  same  constitutional  defect.  Nevertheless,  he 
has  left  in  his  five  annual  reports  a  great  deal  of  use- 
ful information,  which  he  supplemented  by  a  long  se- 
ries of  articles  in  the  Morris  Suburban,  a  paper  at  that 
time  largely  read  throughout  the  West.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  he  was  a  prime  mover  in  the  strong 
awakening  of  public  sentiment  in  regard  to  the  Park 
which  began  to  show  itself  toward  the  close  of  hi:? 
administration. 

Xorris'  work  in  the  Yellowstone  Park  can  not  be 
passed  over  without  praise.  It  left  its  mark,  as  its 
author  did  his  name,  in  every  quarter.  But  one 
thing  must  be  charged  to  his  account — an  almost 

o  o 

total  failure  to  protect  the  Park.  He  did,  indeed,  by 
his  public  utterances,  denounce  the  vandalism  and 
game  destruction  that  were  then  rampant;  but  he  did 
little  in  a  practical  way  to  prevent  them — no  more,  in 
fact,  than  his  predecessor,  although  he  was  given  the 
means. 

Xorris  was  succeeded  in  February,  1882,  by  Patrick 
H.  Conger,  of  Iowa.  Of  this  Superintendent,  it  need 
only  be  said  that  his  administration  was  throughout 
characterized  by  a  weakness  and  inefficiency  which 
brought  the  Park  to  the  lowest  ebb  of  its  fortunes, 


132  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

and  drew  forth  the  severe  condemnation  of  visitors 
and  public  officials  alike.  This  administration  is  an 
important  one,  however,  for  it  marks  the  period  of 
change  in  public  sentiment  already  referred  to,  and 
the  commencement  of  reform  in  the  government  of 
the  reservation. 

As  if  the  unfortunate  condition  of  affairs  due  to  the 
lack  of  suitable  laws  for  the  reservation  were  not 
enough,  there  arose  in  the  early  part  of  Superin- 
tendent Conger's  administration  a  new  and  even  more 
formidable  danger,  under  the  euphemistic  title  of  the 
Yellowstone  Park  Improvement  Company.  Previous 
to  this  time,  there  had  been  no  regular  leases  in  the 
Park.  Several  informal  permits  for  occupancy  had 
been  granted,  and  a  small  number  of  inferior  build- 
ings had  been  erected.  In  1880,  there  were  nine  of 
these  buildings,  nearly  all  of  them  being  plain  log- 
cabins,  with  earth  roofs,  of  the  common  frontier  pat- 
tern. Only  two,  the  headquarters  building  at  Mam- 
moth Hot  Springs  and  Marshall's  Hotel  in  the  Lower 
Geyser  Basin,  rose  in  dignity  above  the  primitive 
type.  No  one  as  yet  thought  of  remaining  in  the 
Park  during  the  winter  season. 

But  it  finally  dawned  upon  certain  sagacious  indi- 
viduals that  here  was  a  rare  opportunity 'to  exploit 
the  government  for  their  private  emolument  under  the 
generous  guise  of  improving  the  Park,  and  catering 
to  the  comfort  of  the  tourist.  A  company  was  ac 
cordingly  formed,  and  a  valuable  ally  secured  in  the 
person  of  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  who 
granted  a  lease  of  4,400  acres  in  tracts  of  about  a 
square  mile  at  each  of  the  great  points  of  interest. 
It  was  urged  in  defense  of  this  sweeping  grant,  that 


ADMINISTRATIVE   HISTORY   OF   THE   PARK.  133 

it  was  hoped  in  that  way  to  secure  the  protection 
which  had  yet  failed  to  be  found  by  any  other  method. 
It  was  thought  that,  if  responsible  parties  could  be 
given  exclusive  control  of  these  natural  curiosities, 
they  would,  at  least  from  motives  of  self-interest,  pre- 
serve them.  But  such  a  monopolistic  privilege  was 
clearly  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  the  Act  of  Dedication. 
Why  set  apart  this  region  for  the  free  and  unrestricted 
enjoyment  of  the  people,  if  the  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior could  give  to  private  parties  absolute  control  of 
all  its  most  important  localities  ?  Was  this  a  proper  in- 
terpretation of  "small  parcels  of  ground,"  as  specified 
in  the  act  ?  The  danger  involved  in  this  action  was 
indeed  a  grave  one,  and  it  at  once  aroused  a  storm  of 
protest  throughout  the  country. 

It  was  about  this  time  also  that  there  began  to  ap- 
pear those  various  railroad  and  segregation  projects 
which  from  that  time  to  the  present  have  been  a  for- 
midable menace  to  the  continued  existence  of  the 
Park.  A  more  extensive  consideration  of  this  par- 
ticular subject  is  reserved  for  a  later  chapter. 

It  thus  became  apparent  as  early  as  1882,  that  im- 
mediate and  radical  measures  must  be  adopted  if  the 
Park  was  to  be  preserved  in  its  original  condition. 
General  Sheridan  who  passed  through  that  region  in 
1881,  1882,  and  1883,  gave  forcible  warning  of  the  im- 
pending danger,  and  urgently  appealed  to  the  public 
sentiment  of  the  country  in  favor  of  some  action  which 
should  avert  it.  The  Governor  of  Montana  made  an 
earnest  appeal  to  Congress.  Other  influential  voices 
united  in  the  same  cause,  and  already  it  was  broadly 
hinted  that  the  only  salvation  of  the  Park  lay  in  turn- 
ing it  over  to  the  militarv.  The  whole  matter  was 


134  THE   YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL   PARK. 

brought  prominently  before  the  next  Congress,  and  in 
March,  1883,  a  clause  in  the  Sundry  Civil  Bill  contain- 
ing the  annual  appropriation  for  the  Park,  forbade  the 
granting  of  leases  of  more  than  ten  acres  to  any  sin- 
gle party,  authorized  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to 
call  upon  the  Secretary  of  War  for  troops  to  patrol 
the  Park,  and  provided  for  the  employment  often  as- 
sistant superintendents  who  were  to  constitute  a  police 
force.  Thus  was  the  bold  scheme  of  the  Improvement 
Company  frustrated,  and  the  foundation  laid  for  the 
present  administrative  system.  The  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  however,  seems  not  to  have  wished  to  avail 
himself  of  militauy  assistance,  and  it  was  several  years 
before  this  provision  of  the  law  was  put  into  opera- 
tion. 

It  was  in  this  same  year  that  the  killing  of  birds 
and  animals  in  the  Park,  and  the  taking  offish  by  any 
other  method  than  by  hook  and  line,  were  absolutely 
prohibited.  Previously,  hunting  had  been  allowed  so 
far  as  was  necessary  to  supply  the  wants  of  camping 
parties — a  concession  that  practically  operated  as  an 
unrestricted  license. 

The  failure  of  Congress  to  enact  needed  legislation 
at  length  became  so  nearly  chronic  that  relief  was 
sought  in  another  direction.  Nearly  all  the  territory 
of  the  Park,  and  all  its  great  attractions,  were  within 
the  limits  of  "Wyoming.  Might  it  not  therefore  be 
within  the  province  of  territorial  legislation  to  fur- 
nish the  necessary  legal  protection?  The  subject  was 
agitated,  and  in  the  winter  of  1884,  an  act  was  passed, 
designed  "  to  protect  and  preserve  the  timber,  game, 
fish,  and  natural  curiosities  of  the  Park,"  and  for- 
other  purposes.  The  act  was  very  stringent  in  its. 


ADMINISTRATIVE    HISTORY    OF    THE    PARK.  135 

provisions,  and  clearly  indicated  the  deep-seated  na- 
ture of  the  disease  which  it  has  designed  to  cure.  But 
it  totally  failed  of  its  purpose.  The  attempt  at  terri- 
torial control  of  what  was  really  a  national  institution 
was  in  itself  a  grave  blunder.  Then,  the  officials 
chosen  to  execute  the  law  seem  to  have  been  poorly 
qualified  for  the  purpose,  and  to  have  displayed  la- 
mentable want  of  tact  and  moderation.  Some  of  their 
arrests  were  so  tyrannical  and  inexcusable,  as  to  create 
universal  protest.  The  spectacle  of  the  assistant  su- 
perintendents— federal  officials — sharing,  as  informers, 
the  tines  levied  by  a  territorial  court,  was  not  designed 
to  create  respect  for  the  new  authority.  At  length 
the  unpopularity  of  the  law  became  so  extreme,  that 
it  was  repealed  March  10,  1886. 

Although  so  unwise  a  measure  could  not  stand,  the 
first  effect  of  its  repeal  was  to  advertise  the  fact  that 
the  Park  was  practically  without  legal  protection. 
Matters  became  even  worse  than  before.  The  com- 
mon verdict,  as  gathered  from  official  reports  and 
other  sources,  is  that  the  body  of  police,  styled  assist- 
ant superintendents,  were  notoriously  inefficient  if  not 
positively  corrupt.  They  were,  for  the  most  part, 
creatures  of  political  favoritism,  and  were  totally  un- 
used to  the  service  required  of  them.  Commissioned 
as  guardians  of  the  rarest  natural  wonders  on  the 
globe,  they  not  infrequently  made  merchandise  of  the 
treasures  which  they  were  appointed  to  preserve. 
Under  their  surveillance,  vandalism  was  practically 
unchecked,  and  the  slaughter  of  game  was  carried  on 
for  private  profit  almost  in  sight  of  the  superintend- 
ent's quarters.  Already  some  of  the  rarer  species  of 
animals  had  suffered  a  depletion  in  numbers  from 


136       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

which  they  have  never  recovered ;  and  the  prediction 
of  Prof.  Comstock,  in  1874,  seemed  on  the  point  of 
realization,  that  "  the  zoological  record  of  to-day " 
was  about  to  "  pass  into  the  domain  of  the  paleontol- 
ogist." 

The  difficulties  that  beset  the  administration  of  the 
Park  seem  to  have  been  too  great  for  Superintendent 
Conger  to  grapple  with  successfully,  and  he  resigned, 
July  28,  1884.  It  may  at  least  be  said  in  his  favor, 
that,  weak  as  his  management  had  been,  no  charge  of 
corruption  or  dishonesty  was  ever  brought  against 
him. 

In  his  place  was  appointed,  August  4,  1884,  Robert 
E.  Carpenter,  of  Iowa.  Mr.  Carpenter's  views  of  the 
requirements  of  his  office  were  clear  and  positive ;  and 
he  promptly  set  about  to  carry  them  into  execution. 
In  his  opinion,  the  Park  was  created  to  be  an  instru- 
ment of  profit  to  those  who  were  shrewd  enough  to 
grasp  the  opportunity.  Its  protection  and  improve- 
ment were  matters  of  secondary  consideration.  In- 
stead of  remaining  at  his  post  during  the  winter  sea- 
son, he  went  to  Washington,  and  there,  in  concert 
with  a  member  of  the  Improvement  Company,  very 
nearly  succeeded  in  carrying  a  measure  through  Con- 
gress by  which  important  tracts  upon  the  Reservation 
were  to  be  thrown  open  to  private  occupancy.  So 
confident  of  success  were  these  conspirators  that  they 
even  located  claims  upon  the  tracts  in  question,  and 
their  names  appeared  on  claim  notices  posted  to  des- 
ignate the  localities.  Fortunately  the  measure  failed 
of  passage,  but  the  scandal  of  Superintendent  Car- 
penter's conduct  led  to  his  prompt  removal  from 
office. 


ADMINISTRATIVE    HISTORY    OF    THE    PARK.  137 

On  the  day  of  his  removal,  May  29,  1885,  Colonel 
David  W.  Wear,  of  Missouri,  was  appointed  to  the 
vacancy.  Colonel  Wear  appears  to  have  been  admir- 
ably fitted  for  the  place.  He  at  once  set  out  to  reform 
the  administration  of  the  Park,  and  his  intelligent  and 
vigorous  measures  gave  the  highest  encouragement  to 
those  who  had  been  familiar  with  the  previous  condi- 
tion of  affairs.  But,  as  has  often  happened  before, 
and  will  often  happen  again,  he  was  made  to  suffer 
for  the  sins  of  his  predecessors.  The  bad  repute  into 
which  the  government  of  the  Park  had  fallen  was  not 
easily  removed,  and  Congress  finally  declined  to  ap- 
propriate money  for  a  protection  which  did  not  pro- 
tect. The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  was  thus  com- 
pelled to  call  upon  the  Secretary  of  War  for  assist- 
ance. The  regime  of  civilian  superintendents  passed 
away,  and  that  of  the  military  superintendents  began. 
The  change  was  bitterly  opposed  by  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  and  by  all  who  held  or  hoped  to  hold 
places  under  the  old  order ;  but  the  sequel  quickly 
proved  the  wisdom  of  this  action  of  Congress.  The  old 
order  necessarily  felt  the  evil  of  our  patronage  system 
of  officeholding;  but  no  single  act  ever  went  so  far  to 
eliminate  this  fruitful  source  of  misfortune  as  the  as- 
signment of  the  administrative  control  of  the  Park  to 
the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army. 

August  20,  1886,  marks  the  turning  point  in  the 
administrative  history  of  the  Reservation.  It  was 
upon  that  day  that  Captain  Moses  Harris,  First  U.  S. 
Cavalry,  relieved  the  civilian  Superintendent  of  his 
duties,  and  soldiers  supplanted  the  so-called  assistant 
Superintendents  as  a  Park  police.  Henceforth  an  en- 
tirely new  order  was  to  obtain.  It  was  to  be  seen 
12 


138  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

how  much  could  be  accomplished,  even  in  the  absence 
of  laws,  toward  a  vigorous  and  healthful  administra- 
tion. Trespassers  upon  the  Reservation  were  promptly 
removed.  The  regulations  were  revised  and  extended, 
printed  upon  cloth,  and  posted  in  all  parts  of  the 
Park ;  and  their  violation  was  visited  with  summary 
punishment  to  the  full  extent  of  the  Superintendent's 
authority.  Abuses  of  leasehold  rights  were  search- 
ingly  inquired  into  and  reported  to  the  department. 
As  soon  as  this  show  of  real  authority  was  made  man- 
ifest, and  it  became  apparent  that  here  was  a  man 
who  meant  what  he  said,  a  great  part  of  the  difficulty 
was  over.  Nothing  in  fact  conduces  so  much  to  the 
infraction  of  law  as  a  belief  in  the  incompetency  or 
dishonesty  of  those  delegated  to  enforce  it,  and  the 
removal  of  this  cause  was  a  long  step  in  the  right  di- 
rection. 

The  Park  was  particularly  fortunate  in  its  first  mil- 
itary Superintendent.  Captain  Harris  possessed  in  a 
marked  degree  the  qualities  required  for  that  position. 
He  was  vigorous  and  uncompromising  in  suppressing 
lawlessness,  just  and  impartial  in  his  rulings,  and  un- 
tiring in  his  watchfulness  for  the  public  interest. 
Although  his  immediate  superior,  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior,  had  strenuously  opposed  the  installation 
of  the  military  in  the  Park,  he  never  failed  to  pay  a 
high  tribute  to  the  efficiency  with  which  the  new  Su- 
perintendent performed  his  duties.  In  fact,  this  high 
opinion  of  Captain  Harris'  services  was  soon  shared 
by  all  who  were  familiar  with  the  situation.  Even 
Forest  and  Stream,  whose  fidelity  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  Park  has  been  a  distinguishing  feature  of  that 
journal  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  was  fain  to  admit, 


ADMINISTRATIVE    HISTORY    OF    THE    PARK.  139 

although  it  had  regarded  the  change  as  impolitic, 
that  under  Captain  Harris"  guardianship  "the  Park 
had  been  cared  for  as  it  never  had  been  before." 

Captain  Harris  remained  in  charge  for  nearly  three 
years,  and  was  succeeded,  June  1,  1889,  by  Captain 
F.  A.  Boutelle,  First  U.  S.  Cavalry.  That  the  evil  of 
political  interference  and  private  intriguing  was  not 
yet  wholly  eliminated  from  the  affairs  of  the  Park  be- 
came manifest  when  Captain  Boutelle  undertook  to 
enforce  the  regulations  against  a  prominent  employe 
of  the  hotel  company.  For  causes  not  publicly  un- 
derstood, he  was  unexpectedly  relieved  from  duty 
January  21,  1891,  and  Captain  George  S.  Anderson, 
Sixth  U.  S.  Cavalry,  the  present  Superintendent,  was 
assigned  in  his  place. 

Going  back  now  to  the  Yellowstone  Park  Improve- 
ment Company,  the  history  of  that  erratic  concern 
will  be  briefly  traced.  It  is  important  first  to  state, 
however,  that  the  conduct  of  private  business  in  the 
Park  has,  until  recent  years,  been  most  unsatisfactory. 
The  Park  was  long  unfortunate  in  the  men  who 
sought  to  carry  on  business  within  its  borders,  and 
even  yet  it  is  not  wholly  free  from  the  evil  of  un- 
scrupulous and  dishonest  schemers.  The  strife,  back- 
biting, struggle  to  ruin  each  other,  which  seemed  to 
be  the  chief  purpose  of  those  who  at  first  sought  gov- 
ernment favors  on  the  Reservation,  can  be  understood 
only  by  those  who  have  seen  them,  or  have  gone  to 
the  trouble  to  examine  official  correspondence.  More 
than  once  has  the  government  made  these  troubles  the 
subject  of  special  investigation,  although  generally 
with  indifferent  results. 

The   new  hotel   company  had   a   meteoric   career, 


140  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

promising  great  things,  but  effecting  no  permanent 
improvement  except  the  partial  construction  of  the 
Mammoth  Hot  Springs  Hotel.  Its  fortunes  early  col- 
lapsed, and  the  opening  of  the  tourist  season  of  1885 
found  the  great  building  in  the  possession  of  unpaid 
workmen,  who  held  it  under  a  kind  of  military  guard 
until  their  wages  should  be  paid. 

This  company,  and  other  lesser  concerns,  gradually 
transferred  their  rights  to  a  new  company,  called  the 
Yellowstone  Park  Association,  which  is  still  in  opera- 
tion. It  is  largely  identified  with  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad,  and  although  it  has  a  practical  monopoly  of 
the  tourist  business,  it  has  never  subjected  itself  to  the 
charge  of  using  that  monopoly  to  the  disadvantage  of 
the  public.  From  the  old  and  unsatisfactory  condi- 
tion of  things  it  has  built  up  a  hotel  system  which, 
though  incomplete,  is  far  ahead  of  what  could  be  rea- 
sonably expected  in  a  region  so  remote  from  the  great 
centers  of  civilization. 

It  was  in  the  early  part  of  Conger's  administration 
that  the  government  took  up  in  earnest  the  question 
of  road  construction.  For  some  years,  the  public, 
thoroughly  weary  of  Norris'  roads,  had  been  urging 
the  necessity  of  sending  an  engineer  officer  to  take 
charge  of  that  important  matter.  This  agitation  bore 
fruit  in  1883  in  the  assignment  of  Lieutenant  D.  C. 
Kingman,  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  to  the  charge 
of  this  work.  His  tour  of  duty  ran  through  three 
years,  and  revsulted  in  the  greatest  improvement  to 
the  road  system.  He  prepared  the  project  which  has 
served  as  a  basis  of  all  subsequent  work,  arid  he  did 
much  toward  carrying  it  into  execution.  His  reports 
were  especially  valuable,  not  only  in  matters  con- 


ADMINISTRATIVE    HISTORY    OF    THE    PARK.  141 

nected  with  his  particular  work,  but  also  those  per- 
taining to  the  general  welfare  of  the  Reservation. 
He  was  among  the  first  to  lift  a  warning  voice  against 
the  grave  danger  of  railroad  encroachment,  and  no 
one  since  his  time  has  presented  this  matter  in  a  more 
convincing  light. 

The  years  1894  and  1895  have  brought  a  radical  im- 
provement to  the  administrative  status  of  the  Park. 
May  4,  1894,  the  long  desired  code  of  laws  was  en- 
acted. On  August  3d  of  the  same  year,  an  act  was 
passed  further  regulating  the  question  of  leases  and 
removing  the  most  serious  defects  of  previous  legis- 
lation. In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  the  road 
work  was  taken  from  the  charge  of  a  non-resident  en- 
gineer with  headquarters  in  St.  Paul,  and  placed  in 
direct  charge  of  the  Superintendent,  thus  bringing 
the  entire  administrative  control  under  a  single  head. 

These  two  years  have  also  witnessed  a  decided  check 
to  the  schemes  of  those  who  still  persist  in  believing 
that  the  Park  was  created  for  their  personal  aggran- 
dizement. Strong  adverse  reports  have  been  sub- 
mitted, practically  for  the  first  time,  by  Congressional 
Committees  against  the  so-called  Segregation  project, 
the  admission  of  railroads  into  the  Park,  and  the  con- 
struction of  an  electric  railway  therein. 

With  the  exception  of  the  lack  of  a  sufficient  force 
of  scouts  properly  to  patrol  that  region,  the  condition 
of  affairs  on  the  Reservation  is  now  eminently  satis- 
factory— far  more  so  than  at  any  previous  period. 


142  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    NATIONAL    PARK    PROTECTIVE    ACT. 

One  of  the  most  important  milestones  in  the  history 
of  the  Park  has  been  so  recently  set  that  the  public 
is  as  yet  not  fully  conscious  of  its  existence.  It  has 
already  been  stated  that  for  more  than  twenty  years 
the  Park  was  wholly  without  adequate  statutory 
protection ;  and  that  this  long-standing  defect  was 
finally  remedied  by  the  enactment  of  a  compre- 
hensive measure  in  the  spring  of  1894.  The  circum- 
stances attending  the  passage  of  this  Act,  and  the 
prompt  manner  in  which  a  great  misfortune  was 
changed  into  a  lasting  benefit,  form  one  of  those 
singular  instances  of  good  fortune  which  have  so 
largely  characterized  the  history  of  this  region. 

Bills  providing  suitable  protection  for  the  Park 
were  introduced  at  the  First  Session  of  the  Fifty-third 
Congress,  just  as  they  have  been  for  the  past  twenty 
years,  and  apparently  with  not  much  greater  chance 
of  success.  The  wanton  recklessness  of  those  who  seek 
special  privileges  in  the  Park,  and  are  unwilling  that 
any  measure  for  its  welfare  shall  pass  unless  coupled 
with  their  own  private  schemes,  threatened  this  time, 
as  hitherto,  to  defeat  Congressional  action.  But  an 
unforeseen  event,  of  such  powerful  bearing  as  prac- 
tically to  override  all  opposition,  occurred  in  March, 
1894,  and  quickly  brought  about  the  desired  consum- 
mation. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  only  herd  of  bison,  now 


THE    NATIONAL    PARK    PROTECTIVE    ACT.  143 

roaming  in  their  native  condition  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  United  States,  is  in  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park.  There  has  always  been  a  lively  inter- 
est in  the  preservation  of  this  herd,  and  its  extinction 
would  be  regarded  as  a  deplorable  calamity.  With 
proper  protection,  it  will  undoubtedly  nourish,  but 
there  is  no  margin  for  carlessness  or  neglect. 

During  the  winter  of  1894,  Captain  George  S.  An- 
derson, U.  S.  A.,  Superintendent  of  the  Park,  learned 
that  snow-shoe  tracks  had  been  seen  along  Astringent 
Creek  in  the  Pelican  Valley  east  of  the  Yellowstone 
River,  in  territory  ranged  over  by  the  bufialo  in 
winter.  The  same  tracks  were  seen  near  Soda  Butte 
station  pointing  toward  Cooke  City.  Inquiry  proved 
them  to  have  been  made  by  one  Howell,  a  well  known 
poacher  and  lawless  character,  who  was  evidently 
driving  his  trade  in  the  winter  buffalo  country.  It 
was  apparent  that  he  had  left  the  Park  for  supplies 
and  would  soon  return.  Captain  Anderson  accord- 
ingly laid  his  plans  for  capture. 

There  has  been  given  a  brief  account  of  the  winter 
expedition  through  the  Park  in  the  spring  of  1894,  of 
which  Mr.  F.  J.  llaynes  and  Scout  Burgess  were 
members.  Burgess  was  instructed  to  examine  the 
country  east  of  the  Yellowstone  and  obtain,  if  possi- 
ble, a  clue  to  Ilowell's  whereabouts.  Early  on  the 
morning  of  March  12th,  he  set  out  from  the  Lake 
hotel  with  a  single  companion,  Private  Troike,  of  the 
Sixth'  Cavalry,  and  before  it  was  scarcely  daylight 
struck  a  dim  snow  shoe  trail  in  the  valley  of  Astrin- 
gent Creek.  Soon  after,  he  found  the  poacher's  teepe 
and  a  number  of  buft'alo  heads  hung  up,  by  means  of 
a  pulley,  to  the  limb  of  a  tree  so  as  to  be  out  of  the 


144        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

reach  of  wolves.  Every  thing  indicated  that  the 
poacher  was  there  for  a  business  of  some  duration  and 
magnitude. 

Leaving  the  teepe  and  following  Howell's  morning 
trail  for  some  distance.  Burgess'  attention  was  soon 
arrested  by  six  rifle  reports.  These  six  shots  slew  five 
buffalo.  Burgess  soon  discovered  Howell,  engaged  in 
skinning  the  head  of  one  of  the  buffalo.  His  rifle 
was  leaning  against  another  some  fifteen  feet  from 
him.  A  dog  (but  this  Burgess  did  not  know)  was 
coiled  up  under  the  leg  of  a  buffalo.  Burgess  thus 
had  the  dangerous  duty  to  perform  of  crossing  the 
intervening  space  of  some  four  hundred  yards,  where 
there  was  no  cover  and  where  he  might  easily  be  seen 
by  Howell  or  the  dog.  Considering  the  desperate 
character  of  these  poachers,  and  the  fact  that  Burgess 
was  armed  only  with  a  revolver  as  against  Howell's 
rifle,  the  peril  involved  in  this  capture  may  be  easily 
appreciated.  But  fortune  was  on  Burgess'  side.  A 
heavy  storm  was  on,  and  the  wind  was  blowing  direct 
from  Howell  to  Burgess.  This  prevented  the  dog  from 
scenting  approach,  and  Howell  from  hearing  any 
noise,  from  the  leeward.  Burgess  did  not  stop  to 
reckon  the  chances  of  success,  but  promptly  sallied 
forth  upon  his  intended  victim.  On  his  way  he  ran 
upon  an  open  ditch  about  ten  feet  wide.  To  make  a 
snow  shoe  jump  on  level  ground  is  a  feat  of  much 
difficulty ;  but  Burgess  managed  to  accomplish  it.  By 
jjood  fortune  nothing  happened  to  arouse  Howell,  and 
Burgess  got  within  fifteen  feet  of  him  before  he  was 
aware  that  there  was  any  one  within  as  many  miles. 
With  Burgess  cocked  revolver  over  him,  he  discreetly 
surrendered.  Private  Troike  was  summoned,  the  rifle 


THE  NATIONAL  PARK  PROTECTIVE  ACT.      145 

and  accouterments  were  seized,  and  the  party  set  out 
at  once  for  the  Lake  hotel.  But  such  are  the  difficul- 
ties of  snow  shoe  travel  in  this  region,  that  it  was  long 
after  dark  before  they  reached  their  destination. 

The  Yellowstone  Park  Association  keeps  a*  solitary 
watchman  at  each  of  its  hotels  during  winter,  and  has 
a  telephone  line  connecting  each  with  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs.  By  virtue  of  this  lucky  fact,  HowelPs  cap- 
ture, though  made  some  sixty  miles  from  the  nearest 
telegraph  station,  and  in  a  region  where  winter  travel 
is  impossible  except  on  snow  shoes,  was  made  known 
to  the  Superintendent  before  9:30  p.  M.  that  day.  By 
an  other  stroke  of  good  fortune  a  representative  of  Forest 
and  Stream  was  at  that  moment  present  at  Mammoth 
Hot  Springs.  He  had  arrived  but  two  days  before  and 
remained  a  guest  of  the  Superintendent  prior  to  a  tour 
of  the  Park,  which  began  two  days  later.  The  news 
of  Howell's  capture  was  at  once  put  on  the  wire,  and 
in  less  that  twenty-four  hours,  Forest  and  Stream  was 
represented  in  Washington  with  a  new  and  powerful 
argument  for  the  passage  of  the  Offenses  Bill.  The 
imminent  danger  of  the  speedy  and  entire  extinction 
of  the  only  remaining  herd  of  buffalo  in  the  country 
produced  the  desired  effect  in  Congress,  and  on  May 
7,  1894,  the  bill  became  a  law. 

It  was  throughout  a  most  fortunate  combination  of 
circumstances  that  made  this  consummation  possible. 
A  Superintendent  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  care  of  his 
important  charge,  and  fearless  in  the  execution  of  his 
duty  ;  a  scout  who  had  the  nerve  to  make  an  arrest 
full  of  peril  to  himself;  the  existence  of  a  winter 
telephone  line  to  the  heart  of  that  inaccessible  region  ; 


146       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

the  presence  at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  of  a  repre- 
sentative of  that  journal  which  holds  first  rank  among 
the  protectors  of  the  Park ;  and  uncommon  good 
luck  in  minor  details,  caused  this  important  event  to 
cast  its  influence  into  the  national  councils  almost  be- 
fore the  echo  of  the  poacher's  rifle  shots  had  died 
away  among  the  mountains.  HowelPs  act  was  a 
misfortune — a  grievous  misfortune — to  the  game  in- 
terests of  the  Park;  but  its  immediate  result  in  leg- 
islation will  prove  a  benefit  of  far  greater  conse 
quence. 

Howell  was  brought  to  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  and 
was  there  imprisoned  in  the  l^ort  Yellowstone  guard- 
house, and  his  case  reported  to  Washington.  As 
there  was  no  law  for  his  trial  and  punishment,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  in  due  time  ordered  his  re- 
lease. He  was  accordingly  put  out  of  the  Park  and 
forbidden  to  return  without  permission.  But  with  his 
habitual  disregard  of  authority,  he  came  back  during 
the  following  summer  and  was  discovered  by  the  Super- 
intendent in  ii  barber's  chair  at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs 
Hotel.  He  was  promptly  arrested  and  tried  under 
the  new  law  for  violating  the  orders  of  the  Super- 
intendent in  returning.  He  was  convicted  and  sen- 
tenced to  one  month's  imprisonment  and  fifty  dollars 
fine.  He  thus  became  the  Park  Human — first  to  be 
hanged  upon  the  gallows  of  his  own  building. 

Howell  appealed  the  case  to  the  U.  S.  District  Court 
sitting  at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  and  was  released 
upon  the  technical  ground  that,  as  the  prohibition 
against  returning  to  the  Park  was  merely  an  order 
from  the  Superintendent,  and  not  explicitly  author- 


THE    NATIONAL    PARK    PROTECTIVE    ACT.  147 

ized  by  the  regulations  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
the  offense  did  not  come  within  the  purview  of  the 
law.  This  defect  in  the  regulations  has  since  been 
remedied  and  the  conviction  of  Howell,  therefore, 
notwithstanding  his  final  release,  has  all  the  force  of 
precedent. 


148        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PAKK. 


PART    II.— Descriptive. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BOUNDARIES    AND    TOPOGRAPHY. 

At  the  time  when  the  bill  creating  the  Yellowstone- 
Park  was  before  Congress  there  had  been  no  detailed 
survey  of  that  region,  and  the  boundaries,  as  speci- 
fied in  the  bill,  were  to  some  extent  random  guesses. 
The  exploring  parties  of  1870  and  1871  had  seen  all 
the  more  important  points  of  interest.  To  include 
these  in  the  proposed  reservation,  the  framers  of  the 
bill  passed  two  lines  due  east  and  west,  one  through 
the  junction  of  the  Yellowstone  and  Gardiner  Rivers, 
and  one  through  a  point  ten  miles  south  of  the  most 
southerly  point  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake ;  and  two 
lines  due  north  and  south,  one  through  a  point  ten 
miles  east  of  the  easternmost  point  of  Yellowstone 
Lake,  and  one  through  a  point  fifteen  miles  west  of 
the  -most  westerly  point  of  Shoshone  (then  called 
Madison)  Lake.  The  nearly  rectangular  area  thus  re- 
sulting was  found  to  lie  mainly  in  the  north-west 
corner  of  Wyoming,  with  narrow  strips,  two  or  three 
miles  wide,  overlapping  into  the  Territories  of  Mon- 
tana and  Idaho.  The  mean  dimensions  of  the  Res- 
ervation were  61.8  miles  by  53.6  miles,  giving  an  area 
of  3312.5  square  miles. 

By  presidential  proclamation,  dated  September  10, 
1891,  a  large  area  to  the  east  and  south  of  the  Park 


BOUNDARIES  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.          149 

was  set  apart  as  a  Forest  Reserve,  under  the  provisions 
of  an  Act  of  March  3, 1891,  and  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Park.  By  this  action 
the  area  reserved  from  settlement  around  the  sources 
of  the  Yellowstone  was  increased  to  about  5,000 
square  miles.  It  should  be  remembered,  however, 
that  this  additional  reserve  is  not  a  direct  creation  by 
Act  of  Congress,  and  it  therefore  does  not  stand  upon 
the  same  substantial  footing  as  the  original  Reserva- 
tion. 

The  chief  topographical  features  of  the  Park  are  as 
follows  : 

DRAINAGE    AREAS. 

Three  great  rivers  receive  the  waters  of  the  Yellow- 
stone Park — the  Yellowstone,  the  Missouri,  and  the 
Snake.  The  first  two  rivers  are  on  the  Atlantic  slope  ; 
the  third  is  on  the  Pacific  slope.  The  areas  drained 
by  them  are  approximately  : 

By  the  Yellowstone.  1,900  square  miles. 

By  the  Missouri,  730  square  miles. 

By  the  Snake,  682  square  miles. 

The  Yellowstone  River  has  its  source  in  the  snow 
drifts  of  Yount  Peak,  twenty-five  miles  south-east  of 
the  Park.  It  enters  the  Reservation  six  miles  west  of 
the  south-east  corner ;  crosses  it  in  a  direction  some- 
what west  of  north,  and  leaves  it  at  a  point  about 
nineteen  miles  east  of  the  north-west  corner.  Near  the 
center  of  the  Park  it  flows  through  the  celebrated 
lake  of  the  same  name,  and  further  north  passes 
through  two  remarkable  canons  before  it  leaves  the 
Reservation.  Its  principal  tributaries  within  the  Park 
are  the  Lamar  River  (commonly  called  the  East  Fork), 
from  the  east,  and  Gardiner  River  from  the  west. 


150  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

TheLamar  River  rises  nearly  due  east  of  the  outlet 
of  Yellowstone  Lake  and  flows  north-westerly,  joining 
the  main  stream  near  Junction  Butte.  Its  principal 
tributary  is  Soda  Butte  Creek,  which  rises  just  out- 
side the  north-east  corner  of  the  Park  and  joins  the 
Lamar  River  near  the  extinct  hot  spring  cone  from 
which  it  derives  its  name. 

Gardiner  River  is  the  second  largest  tributary  of  the 
Yellowstone,  and  drains  the  extensive  area  between 
the  Washburn  and  Gallatin  Mountains. 

The  low-water  discharge  of  the  Yellowstone  River, 
as  measured  by  the  writer,  in  1891,  a  little  below  the 
lake  outlet,  is  1,598  cubic  feet  per  second ;  as  meas- 
ured by  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  in 
1886,  1,525  cubic  feet.  The  discharge  at  the  north 
boundary  of  the  Park  can  not  be  less  than  2,000 
cubic  feet. 

The  Missouri  River  drainage  flows  into  the  Gallatin 
and  Madison  forks  of  that  stream.  The  Gallatin 
drains  only  a  small  area  in  the  extreme  north-west 
corner  of  the  Park.  The  Madison  is  formed  by  the 
junction  of  the  Gibbon  and  Firehole  Rivers,  about 
twelve  miles  east  of  the  west  boundary  of  the  Park. 
The  Gibbon  takes  its  rise  a  few  miles  west  of  the 
Falls  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  flows  in  a  south-west 
direction.  The  Firehole  rises  in  Madison  Lake,  and 
flows  north  to  its  junction  with  the  Gibbon.  Its 
principal  tributaries  are  the  Little  Firehole  River  and 
Iron  Creek  on  the  west,  and  Nez  Perce  Creek  on  the 
east. 

The  Snake  River  drains  the  south-west  portion  of 
the  Park.  It  rises  about  fifteen  miles  south  of  Yel- 
lowstone Lake,  just  outside  the  Park.  It  then  takes 


BOUNDARIES    AND    TOPOGRAPHY.  151 

a  northerly  circuit  into  the  Park,  receiving  the  waters 
of  Hart  and  Lewis  Rivers,  and  leaves  the  Reservation 
just  north  of  Jackson  Lake.  Its  principal  tributary 
is  the  Lewis  River,  which  drains  Shoshone  and  Lewis 
Lakes.  Several  large  streams,  Bechler  and  Falls  Riv- 
ers among  them,  cross  the  south-west  boundary  of  the 
Park  and  join  the  main  Snake  further  south. 

The  line  of  separation  between  this  water-shed  and 
those  of  the  Yellowstone  and  the  Missouri,  is  the 
Continental  Divide,  the  irregular  course  of  which  can 
be  readily  understood  by  consulting  the  map. 

In  the  entire  Park  there  are  about  thirty-six  named 
lakes  with  a  total  area  of  nearly  165  square  miles. 
Of  these  lakes,  twenty-one,  with  an  area  of  143  square 
miles,  are  on  the  Yellowstone  slope;  eight,  with  an 
area  of  perhaps  two  square  miles,  are  on  the  Missouri 
slope  ;  and  seven,  with  an  area  of  about  twenty  square 
miles,  are  on  the  Snake  River  slope.  The  four  prin- 
cipal lakes — Yellowstone,  Shoshone,  Lewis,  and  Hart — 
are  clustered  near  the  Continental  Divide  at  its  lowest 
point,  the  first  being  on  the  Atlantic  slope,  and  the 
others  on  the  Pacific. 

There  are  upon  the  various  streams  of  the  Park  no 
fewer  than  twenty-five  interesting  water-falls,  where 
the  streams  descend  from  the  Park  plateau  to  the 
lower  surrounding  country. 

MOUNTAIN   SYSTEM 

As  the  Yellowstone  River  is  the  most  important 
stream  in  the  Park,  so  the  Absaroka  Range,  in  which 
it  has  its  source,  is  the  most  important  mountain  sys- 
tem. It  extends  north  and  south  along  the  entire 
eastern  border.  To  the  south  it  is  prolonged  under 


152        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

the  name  of  the  Sierra  Shoshone  Mountains  as  far  as 
the  Wind  River  Valley,  while  north  of  Soda  Butte 
Creek  it  extends  to  the  Great  Bend  of  the  Yellow- 
stone under  the  name  Snowy  Range.  The  various 
larger  summits  are  remarkably  uniform  in  elevation. 
From.  Index  Peak  on  the  north  to  Yount  Peak  on -the 
south,  there  are  more  than  thirty  named  mountains 
with  an  average  altitude  of  10,400  feet.  The  varia- 
tion from  this  mean  is  slight.  The  range,  through- 
out its  length,  is  full  of  noble  views,  and,  as  seen 
from  across  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  is  one  of  the 
finest  exhibitions  of  mountain  scenery  on  the  con- 
tinent. 

The  next  most  important  range  is  the  Gal  latin,  situ- 
ated in  the  north-west  corner  of  the  Park,  at  the  head 
of  the  Gallatin  River.  It  has  about  seventeen  named 
peaks,  with  an  average  altitude  of  9,800  feet.  The 
highest  peak,  Electric,  is  the  loftiest  mountain  in  the 
Park. 

The  Washburn  Range,  a  detached  mountain  system, 
originally  known  as  the  "  Elephant's  Back,"  is  situ- 
ated between  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone 
and  the  Gardiner  River.  It  has  seven  christened 
summits,  with  an  average  altitude  of  9,800  feet.  The 
most  conspicuous  peak  of  the  range,  as  well  as  the 
most  noted  mountain  of  the  Park,  is  Mt.  Washburn. 

The  Red  Mountain  Range  is  a  small,  detached 
group  of  mountains  between  Hart  and  Lewis  Lakes. 
Its  principal  summit,  Mt.  Sheridan,  affords  probably 
the  finest  view  to  be  had  in  that  entire  region. 

The  Teton  Range  lies  mainly  outside  the  Park,  its 
northern  spurs  barely  touching  the  southern  boundary. 
It  extends  north  and  south  along  the  west  shore  of 


BOUNDARIES  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.          153 

Jackson  Lake,  and  is  a  very  noted  range  of  moun- 
tains. Its  highest  summit,  the  Grand  Teton,  has  no 
competitor  for  altitude  nearer  than  Fremont  Peak, 
seventy-five  miles  distant. 

The  Big  Game  Ridge  lies  along  the  south  boundary 
of  the  Park,  and  is  the  source  of  the  Snake  River.  It 
has  six  named  peaks,  with  an  average  altitude  of 
9,800  feet, 

Besides  these  various  groups  of  mountains,  there 
are  a  few  detached  peaks  worthy  of  note,  which  can 
not  be  conveniently  classified  with  any  of  the  princi- 
pal ranges. 

PLATEAUS. 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  Park  area  is  com- 
posed of  what  may  be  termed  plateaus,  elevated  tracts 
of  land,  not  so  high  as  the  mountain  ranges,  but  much 
higher  than  the  valleys.  Ordinarily,  these  are  to  be 
found  along  the  divides  between  the  larger  streams. 
The  more  important  are  the  Pitchstone  Plateau,  be- 
tween the  Snake  River  and  the  head  waters  of  the 
Bechler  and  Fall  Rivers,  with  a  mean  altitude  of  8,500 
feet ;  Highland  Plateau,  between  the  Yellowstone  and 
the  Madison  Rivers,  altitude  8,300  feet;  Mirror 
Plateau,  between  the  Yellowstone  and  the  Lamar 
Rivers,  altitude  9,000  feet ;  Mt.  Everts  Plateau,  be- 
tween the  Yellowstone  and  the  Gardiner,  altitude 
7,000  feet;  and  the  Madison  Plateau,  west  of  the 
Lower  Geyser  Basin,  altitude  8,300  feet. 

VALLEYS. 

These  form  an  exceedingly  important  part  of  the 
Park  topography.  The  largest  is  Junction  Valley,  in- 
cluding its  branches  along  the  Yellowstone  and  the 


154  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Lamar  Rivers.  It  is  an  extensive,  grassy  tract, 
stretching  well  back  upon  the  mountain  sides,  and 
forming  a  fine  pasturage  for  game.  For  scientific  re- 
search, its  fossil  forests  and  other  features  make  it  an 
extremely  interesting  section. 

Hayden  Valley  is  the  next  in  size  and  importance, 
and  occupies  an  important  tract  along  the  Yellow- 
stone River,  between  the  Lake  and  Falls,  mostly  on 
the  west  side,  in  the  vicinity  of  Alum  Creek. 

The  Madison  Valley,  and  its  extensions  up  the 
Firehole  and  Gibbon  Rivers,  are  chiefly  noteworthy 
as  being  the  locality  of  the  three  great  geyser  regions 
of  the  Park. 

The  Swan  Lake  Flats,  Willow  Park,  the  Shoshone 
and  Falls  River  Basins,  are  other  important  examples 
of  typical  mountain  valleys. 

ALTITUDES. 

The  lowest  point  in  the  Park  is  at  the  junction  of 
the  Yellowstone  and  the  Gardiner  Rivers,  5,360  feet 
above  sea  level ;  the  highest  is  the  summit  of  Electric 
Peak,  six  miles  distant,  11,155  feet.  To  give  a  general 
idea  of  the  altitudes  of  different  points  in  the  Park, 
particularly  of  those  which  the  tourist  visits,  the  fol- 
lowing list  is  presented  :* 

Gardiner,  Mont 5,400  feet. 

Mammoth  Hot  Springs  hotel 6,215    " 

Glen  Creek  Bridge  above  Golden  Gate 7,245    " 

Indian  Creek  Bridge ' 7,275    " 

Beaver  Lake 7,360    " 


*  From  profile  of  road  system. 

For  additional  elevations,  see  list  of  names  in  Appendix  A. 


BOUNDARIES  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.          155 

Norri.s  Rond  Junction 7,470  feet. 

Gibbon  Meadows 7,315  " 

Gibbon  and  Firehole  Rivers,  junction  of 6,780  " 

Lower  Geyser  Basin  (mouth  of  Nez  Perce  Creek).   7,125  " 

Upper  Geyser  Basin  (near  Castle  Geyser) 7,300  " 

Mouth  of  Spring  Creek 7,600  " 

Isa  Lake,  Continental  Divide 8,300  " 

Yellowstone  Lake. 7,741  '" 

Road  at  Mud  Volcano 7,705  " 

Canon  Hotel 7,850  " 

Junction  Valley  near  Yancey's 6,150  '• 

Divide  betweeu  the  Blacktail  and  Gardiner 6,550  " 

SCENERY. 

The  mountain  scenery  of  the  Park  is  not  so  im- 
posing as  that  of  Colorado  and  some  other  parts  of 
the  Rocky  Mountain  region  ;  but  it  is  more  varied 
and  beautiful.  The  eye  is  not  wearied  with  the  con- 
stant sight  of  vast  and  bare  mountain  cliffs,  but  finds 
relief  in  attractive  lakes,  streams,  glades,  parks,  forests, 
and  every  combination  of  effects  that  helps  to  produce 
a  beautiful  landscape. 


156        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 


CHAPTER   II. 

GEOLOGY    OF    THE    PARK. 

Nature  seems,  from  the  first,  to  have  designed  this 
region  for  a  mountain  park.  In  geological  chronology 
it  was  near  the  close  of  the  Cretaceous  Period,  that  the 
lifting  of  the  great  mountain  systems  of  the  West  into 
their  present  positions  was  practically  finished.  In 
the  formation  of  these  mountains,  the  general  outline 
of  the  Yellowstone  Park  was  already  marked  out, 
probably  in  much  more  striking  features  than  at  pres- 
ent. A  vast  rim  of  mountains,  visible  now  in  the  Ab- 
saroka,  Snowy,  Gallatin,  Teton,  and  Snake  River 
Ranges,  hemmed  in  the  extensive  area  which  has 
since  become  so  famous.  Subsequent  events  have 
greatly  modified  its  original  form,  but  the  grand  out- 
lines at  first  determined  are  still  distinctly  visible. 

In  the  Tertiary  Period,  which  was  next  in  order  of 
time  after  the  Cretaceous,  changes  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance occurred,  consisting  principally  in  the  out- 
pouring of  enormous  masses  of  volcanic  material.  The 
origin  of  these  lava  flows  has  been  traced  to  a  few 
craters,  one  of  which  was  near  Mt.  Washburn,  another 
in  the  Red  Mountain  Range,  and  a  third  near  the 
sources  of  the  Lamar  River.  Mt.  "Washburn  has  long 
been  recognized  as  part  of  the  rim  of  an  ancient  vol- 
cano. Both  it  and  Mt.  Sheridan,  the  two  mountains 
which  bore  the  principal  part  in  working  out  the 
present  features  of  that  country,  still  remain  the  most 


GEOLOGY    OF    THE    PARK.  157 

prominent  peaks  from  which  the  modern  visitor  can 
contemplate  the  work  they  have  performed.  . 

The  outpourings  at  first  consisted  of  andesitic  lavas. 
They  largely  changed  the  appearance  of  the  mountain 
ranges  and  to  some  extent  filled  up  the  interior  basin. 
The  flows  were  not  continuous  but  were  separated  by 
long  intervals  of  quiet,  during  which  vegetation  and 
the  agencies  of  erosion  were  actively  at  work. 

After  the  cessation  of  the  andesitic  eruptions,  a  qui- 
escent period  of  great  length  ensued.  Then  came  the 
period  of  rhyolitic  flows,  the  centers  of  volcanic  activity 
being  as  before  Mts.  Washburn  and  Sheridan.  These 
flows  built  up  the  present  Park  plateau,  and  constitute 
the  great  bulk  of  the  rocks  which  the  tourist  now 
sees. 

Following  the  period  of  rhyolitic  eruptions,  oro- 
graphic  agencies  were  active  in  producing  extensive 
faults  or  displacements,  which  in  certain  localities 
radically  changed  the  relative  positions  of  the  rocks. 

The  last  exhibitions  of  volcanic  energy  were  in  the 
form  of  basaltic  eruptions.  These  took  place  in  part 
through  ordinary  volcanic  craters,  and  in  part  through 
cracks  or  seams  in  the  rocks,  where  they  may  still  be 
seen  forming  extensive  dykes.  The  basalt  is  of 
relatively  limited  extent,  but  its  striking  and  pictur- 
esque forms  wherever  it  appears  make  it  more  in- 
teresting to  the  tourist  than  any  of  the  other  rocks. 

The  great  variety  of  superficial  appearances  which 
these  volcanic  rocks  have  assumed  makes  the  Park 
one  of  the  best  laboratories  in  the  world  for  their 
study. 

The  continuance  of  these  various  outpourings  doubt- 
less extended  into  Quartenary  time.  Then  carne  the 


158  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Glacial  Epoch,  the  epoch  of  wide-spread  ice-carving, 
which  still  further  modified  the  surface  of  the  country. 
The  paths  of  the  ancient  glaciers  have  in  several 
instances  been  made  out  and  their  transported  ma- 
terial may  readily  be  distinguished.  One  glacier 
flowed  from  the  Gallatin  Range  eastward  across  Ter- 
race Mountain,  where  it  joined  another  moving  west- 
wardly  from  the  Absaroka  Range.  The  united 
streams  continued  down  the  Gardiner  and  Yellow- 
stone Valleys,  in  which  vast  masses  of  drift  still 
mark  their  ancient  route. 

Glacial  action  and  the  common  agents  of  denuda- 
tion have  given  the  Park  country  its  present  general 
aspect.  These  later  modifications  have  indeed  been  ex- 
tensive, and  the  great  variety  of  form  now  seen  in  the 
valleys,  canons  and  hills  is  the  result  of  their  com- 
bined action.  The  Yellowstone  Canon  is  a  marked 
example  of  erosion  on  a  large  scale.  A  direct  result 
of  its  formation  was  the  partial  draining  of  Yellow- 
stone Lake,  which  had  previously  existed  at  a  much 
higher  level  than  now,  and  spread  over  the  entire 
area  of  the  present  Hay  den  Valley. 

Since  the  cessation  of  the  basaltic  lava  flows  there 
seem  to  have  been  no  further  lava  outpourings  in  this 
region,  The  old  volcanoes  have  been  long  extinct 
and  their  craters  have  been  modified  almost  beyond 
recognition.  But  evidences  of  the  power  which  once 
worked  beneath  them  are  still  abundant,  although  no 
longer  on  so  imposing  a  scale.  It  is  the  hot  springs 
and  geysers  still  in  existence  which  partly  render  this 
region  so  widely  celebrated.  That  this  thermal  action 
originates  mainly  in  the  same  source  of  energy  which 
once  poured  out  the  vast  fields  of  lava,  there  is  no 


GEOLOGY    OF    THE    PARK.  159 

reason  to  doubt.  Many  plausible  explanations  are 
advanced  to  account  for  the  existence  of  subterranean 
heat,  but  whatever  may  be  its  real  origin  it  is  doubt- 
less the  same  for  both  classes  of  phenomena. 

The  action  which  is  now  observable  has  continued 
in  an  ever-decreasing  degree  since  the  close  of  the 
lava  period.  Over  vast  tracts  of  the  Park  plateau, 
the  rocks  are  entirely  decomposed  to  unknown  depths 
by  the  ascending  superheated  vapors.  Some  idea  of 
the  extent  of  this  action  may  be  obtained  at  the 
Grand  Canon,  which  has  cut  its  way  a  thousand  feet 
downward  into  the  decomposed  volcanic  rock  without 
yet  reaching  its  bottom.  The  infinite  variety  of 
chemic  products  resulting  from  this  decomposition 
has  given  the  Canon  its  wonderful  coloration. 

The  same  condition  largely  prevails  over  the  Park 
plateau.  Where  now  are  dense  forests  and  no  super- 
ficial evidence  of  unusual  conditions,  there  will  fre- 
quently be  found,  by  digging  beneath  the  surface,  the 
familiar  proof  that  thermal  activity  once  prevailed 
there.  In  constructing  the  tourist  route  from  the 
Upper  Geyser  Basin  to  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  where 
for  nearly  the  whole  distance  there  is  a  complete  ab- 
sence of  hot  springs,  the  evidences  of  former  volcanic 
activity  were  found  to  be  abundant. 

Facts  like  these  clearly  demonstrate  that,  from  a 
geologic  standpoint,  thermal  activity  in  the  Park  is 
gradually  becoming  extinct;  and  many  persons,  taking 
alarm  at  this  evidence,  imagine  that  the  unique  phe- 
nomena of  the  Yellowstone  are  of  an  evanescent 
character,  and  that  the  time  is  not  far  remote  when 
they  will  be  known  only  as  matters  of  history.  There 
is,  however,  no  occasion  for  such  misgiving.  The 


160        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

present  condition  is  the  result  of  processes  that  run 
back  probably  for  millions  of  years;  certainly  for 
periods  of  time  compared  with  which  recorded  history 
is  insignificant.  The  same  rate  of  progress  would 
produce  no  perceptible  change  in  the  lifetime  of  an 
individual. 

Some  who  have  visited  the  geyser  regions  more 
than  once  assert  that,  after  an  interval  of  several 
years,  they  observe  a  marked  diminution  in  thermal 
activity.  But  this  is  probably  because  a  second  visit 
ordinarily  makes  a  less  vivid  impression  than  a  first. 
The  weight  of  reliable  evidence  is  certainly  the  other 
way.  Mr.  David  E.  Folsom,  leader  of  the  Expedition 
of  1869,  made  a  tour  of  the  Park  during  the  present 
season  of  1895.  He  says :  "  I  had  a  very  vivid  recol- 
lection of  all  I  saw  twenty-six  years  ago,  and  I  note 
no  important  change."  Professor  Arnold  Hague,  prob- 
ably the  best  living  authority  upon  the  scientific  feat- 
tures  of  the  Park,  has  compared  the  hot  springs  and 
geysers  by  means  of  authentic  records  covering  inter- 
vals of  several  years,  and  he  declares  that  he  finds  "  no 
diminution  in  the  intensity  of  action  or  in  the  amount 
of  discharge  from  the  springs  and  geysers,  since  they 
have  been  subject  to  careful  observation."  While  it  is 
certain  that  springs  are  constantly  becoming  inactive, 
it  is  no  less  certain  that  others  replace  them,  and  it 
may  be  confidently  assumed  that  the  progress  toward 
ultimate  extinction  will  be  inappreciable  in  our  time 
or  for  many  generations  to  come. 

The  distribution  of  thermal  springs  over  the  surface 
of  the  earth  is  probably  more  general  than  is  com- 
monly supposed.  Only  one  extensive  area  is  practi- 
cally without  them,  and  that  is  the  Continent  of  A  us- 


GEOLOGY    OF    THE    PARK.  161 

tralia.  Africa,  also,  has  very  few.  But  in  other  parts 
of  the  globe  they  are  found  almost  without  number, 
ranging  from  the  Equator  to  the  Arctic  Circle,  and 
from  sea-level  to  the  lofty  table  lands  of  Thibet. 

The  three  localities,  however,  in  which  they  abound 
in  such  numbers  and  magnitude  as  to  attract  marked 
attention  are,  in  the  order  of  their  discovery,  Iceland, 
New  Zealand,  and  the  Yellowstone  National  Park.  In 
extent,  variety,  and  magnitude  of  accompanying  phe- 
nomena, and  in  geologic  age,  the  above  order  is  re- 
versed. Iceland  has  probably  the  most  famous  geyser 
in  the  world,  principally  because  it  was  for  a  long  time 
the  only  known  geyser,  and  consequently  received  a 
great  deal  of  scientific  attention  ;  but  judging  from 
published  descriptions  it  is  clearly  inferior  to  several 
now  known  in  the  Firehole  Geyser  Basin. 

Three  notable  features  of  similarity  in  these  geyser 
regions  are  the  presence  of  volcanic  rocks  of  remote  or 
recent  origin ;  proximity  to  the  earth's  surface  of  active 
sources  of  subterranean  heat ;  and  the  presence  of  a 
great  number  of  lakes.  In  all  three  cases,  lava,  heat 
and  water  are  the  characteristic  geologic  and  physical 
accompaniments  of  those  particular  phenomena  which 
will  now  be  described  more  in  detail. 


162       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 


CHAPTER  III. 

GEYSERS. 

The  hot  springs  of  the  Yellowstone  National  Park 
may  be  roughly  divided  into  two  classes,  eruptive  and 
non-eruptive.  To  the  first  the  term  geyser  is  applied, 
while  the  term  hot  springs  is  restricted  to  the  second. 
These  two  classes  pass  into  each  other  by  insensible 
gradations  and  the  line  of  demarcation  it  is  not  possible 
to  draw.  The  following  description  will  pertain  only 
to  those  examples  about  which  there  is  no  doubt,  and 
which  may  be  taken  as  types  of  their  class. 

A  geyser  may  be  defined  as  a  periodically  eruptive 
hot  spring.  The  name,  as  might  be  expected,  is  of  Ice- 
landic origin,  and  comes  from  the  verb  geysa,  to  gush. 
The  general  characteristics  of  a  true  geyser,  as  illus- 
trated by  the  most  perfect  example  known,  Old  Faith- 
ful in  the  Yellowstone  Park,  are  the  following: 

(1.)  There  is  an  irregular  tube  descending  from  the 
earth's  surface  to  some  interior  source  of  heat. 

(2.)  The  mouth  of  this  tube  may  be  either  a  self- 
built  mound  or  cone  (as  in  the  example),  or  simply  an 
open  pool. 

(3.)  Into  this  tube  meteoric  water  finds  its  way  and 
is  subjected  to  the  action  of  heat. 

(4.)  The  result  is  an  eruption  and  expulsion  of  the 
water  from  the  tube  with  more  or  less  violence. 

(5.)  The  eruption  is  generally  preceded  by  slight 
preliminary  upheavals  leading  gradually  to  the  final 
outburst. 


GEYSERS.  163 

(6.)  After  cessation  of  the  eruption  there  is  usually 
a  considerable  escape  of  steam. 

(7.)  A  quiescent  period,  generally  of  indeterminate 
duration,  follows  during  which  the  conditions  neces- 
sary for  an  eruption  are  reproduced. 

Geyser  phenomena  have  attracted  a  great  deal  of 
scientific  attention,  and  many  theories  have  been  ad- 
vanced to  explain  them.  Passing  over  for  the  present 
the  various  less  important  views,  attention  will  first  be 
given  to  Bunsen's  theory,  because  it  is,  upon  the 
whole,  the  most  satisfactory  explanation  yet  advanced. 
This  theory  was  a  direct  deduction  from  observations 
upon  the  Great  Geyser  of  Icelandj  and  has  been  ex- 
perimentally illustrated  by  artificial  examples. 

The  fundamental  principle  upon  which  it  is  based 
is  the  well  known  fact  that  the  temperature  of  the  boil- 
ing point  of  water  varies  with  the  pressure  to  which 
the  water  is  subjected.  At  the  sea  level,  under  the 
pressure  of  one  atmosphere  (fifteen  pounds  to  the 
square  inch),  the  boiling  point  is  about  212  degrees 
Fahrenheit.  Under  a  pressure  of  two  atmospheres  it 
is  250  degrees;  of  three,  275  degrees;  of  four,  293 
degrees,  and  so  on.  At  an  altitude  like  that  of  the 
Park  plateau,  where  the  atmospheric  pressure  is  much 
less  than  at  sea  level,  the  normal  boiling  point  is  about 
198  degrees,  but  the  law  of  variation  due  to  pressure 
conditions  applies  exactly  as  in  lower  altitudes. 

If  water,  subjected  to  great  pressure,  be  heated  to  a 
temperature  considerably  above  that  of  its  normal 
boiling  point,  and  if  then  the  pressure  be  suddenly  re- 
lieved, it  will  almost  instantaneously  be  converted 
into  steam;  a  fact  which  always  operates  to  enhance 
the  danger  from  the  explosion  of  steam  boilers.  Ap- 


164  THE   YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

plying  this  principle  to  the  case  of  an  ordinary  gey- 
ser, it  will  readily  be  seen  that  in  the  long  irregular 
tube  descending  to  great  depths  there  are  present  the 
necessary  conditions  for  subjecting  the  water  to  great 
pressure.  At  the  surface  the  pressure  is  that  of  the 
weight  of  the  atmosphere  corresponding  to  the  alti- 
tude ;  at  a  certain  depth  below  (33  feet  at  the  sea 
level,  but  less  at  higher  altitudes)  it  is  twice  as 
great ;  at  double  this  depth  three  times  as  great,  and 
so  on. 

Suppose,  now,  that  there  is  an  interior  heat  at  some 
point  along  the  geyser  tube  well  below  the  surface. 
The  boiling  point  of  water  in  the  vicinity  of  the  heat 
supply  will  be  higher  than  at  the  surface  in  definite 
relation  to  its  distance  down.  If  the  tube  be  of  large 
diameter  and  the  circulation  quite  free,  the  water  will 
never  reach  this  point,  for  it  will  rise  nearer  the  top, 
where  the  boiling  point  is  lower  and  will  pass  off  in 
steam.  The  spring  will  thus  be  simply  a  boiling  or 
quiescent  spring.  But  if  the  tube  be  comparatively 
small  and  if  the  circulation  be  in  any  way  impeded, 
the  temperature  at  the  source  of  heat  will  rise  until  it 
reaches  a  boiling  point  corresponding  to  its  depth. 
Steam  will  result,  and  will  rise  through  the  water, 
gradually  increasing  the  temperature  in  the  upper 
portions  of  the  tube.  After  a  time  the  water  through- 
out the  entire  tube  becomes  heated  nearly  to  the  boil- 
ing point  and  can  no  longer  condense  the  steam  rising 
from  below  ;  which  then  rapidly  accumulates  until  its 
expansive  power  is  great  enough  to  lift  the  column 
above  and  project  some  of  the  water  from  the  basin 
or  cone.  This  lessens  the  weight  of  the  column 
and  relieves  the  pressure  at  every  point.  In  places 


GEYSERS.  165 

-where  the  water  had  been  just  below  the  boiling  point, 
it  is  now  above,  and  more  steam  is  rapidly  produced. 
This  throws  out  more  water,  still  further  lightens  the 
column,  and  causes  the  generation  of  more  steam, 
until  finally  the  whole  contents  of  the  tube  are  ejected 
with  terrific  violence. 

From  this  explanation  it  is  apparent  that  any  thing 
which  impedes  the  circulation  of  water  in  the  geyser 
tube  will  expedite  the  eruption.  The  well-known  ef- 
fect of  "  soaping  geysers  "  may  thus  be  accounted  for. 
As  oil  thrown  upon  waves  gives  a  viscosity  to  the 
surface,  which  greatly  moderates  their  violence,  so 
does  the  addition  of  soap  or  lye  make  the  water  of 
the  geyser  tube  less  free  to  circulate,  and  thus  hasten 
the  conditions  precedent  to  an  eruption. 

The  apparently  contrary  process  of  violently  agitat- 
ing the  water  of  the  geyser,  as  by  stirring  it  with  a 
stick,  sometimes  produces  the  same  effect ;  but  this 
results  from  the  sudden  forcing  upward  of  masses  of 
superheated  water,  instead  of  allowing  them  to  rise 
and  gradually  cool. 

That  Bunsen's  theory  really  explains  the  phenom- 
ena of  geyser  action  there  can  be  little  doubt.  It  is 
true  that  in  no  single  geyser  does  one  find  a  perfect 
example  of  the  theory.  But  it  must  be  remembered 
that  typical  conditions  probably  never  exist.  The 
point  of  application  of  heat;  the  mode  of  application, 
whether  from  the  heated  surface  of  rocks  or  from 
superheated  steam  issuing  into  the  tube.;  the  diameter 
and  regularity  of  the  tube;  the  point  of  inflow  of  the 
cold  water  :  are  all  matters  which  influence  the  erup- 
tion and  determine  its  character.  In  the  endless 
variety  of  conditions  in  nature  one  need  not  wonder 


166  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

at  the  varying  results.  He  should  rather  wonder  that 
in  a  single  instance  nature  has  produced  a  combina- 
of  such  perfection  as  is  found  in  Old  Faithful,  which, 
for  thousand  of  years  has  performed  its  duty  with  the 
regularity  of  clock  work. 

There  are  various  other  theories,  each  with  some 
particular  merit,  which  may  be  briefly  referred  to. 
Sir  George  Mackenzie,  who  visited  Iceland  in  1810-11, 
thought  the  geyser  tube  at  some  point  beneath  the 
surface  curved  to  one  side  and  then  upward,  com- 
municating with  a  chamber  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  source  of  heat.  The  water  in  this  chamber 
becomes  heated  above  the  boiling  point,  and,  expand- 
ing, forces  the  water  from  the  chamber  into  the  tube 
until  the  chamber  is  finally  emptied  to  the  level  of  the 
mouth  of  the  tube.  Any  further  expulsion  of  water 
lessens  the  weight  of  the  column  of  water  above. 
Bunsen's  theory  comes  into  play,  and  with  the  ac- 
cumulated pressure  of  the  steam  in  the  chamber,  pro- 
duces a  violent  eruption. 

Prof.  Comstock,  who  visited  the  Park  in  1873, 
thought  that  there  were  two  chambers,  the  lower 
being  in  contact  with  the  source  of  heat,  and  the 
upper  acting  as  a  sort  of  trap  in  the  geyser  tube. 
After  a  sufficient  force  of  steam  has  accumulated  in 
the  lower  chamber,  it  ejects  the  contents  of  the  cham- 
ber above. 

S.  Baring-Gould,  who  visited  Iceland  in  1863,  ob- 
served that  if  a  tube  be  bent  into  two  arms  of  unequal 
length,  the  shorter  of  which  is  closed,  and  if  the  tube 
be  filled  with  water  and  the  shorter  arm  then  heated, 
all  the  characteristic  phenomena  of  geyser  action  re- 


GEYSERS.  167 

suit,  the  water  being  finally  ejected  with  explosive 
violence  from  the  longer  tube. 

Now,  it  is  probable  that  in  nature  each  of  these 
theories  may  find  illustration,  but  it  must  still  be 
acknowledged  that  in  all  cases  Buusen's  theory  is  the 
partial  explanation,  and  in  many  the  only  adequate 
one. 

The  most  superficial  examination  of  the  geysers  in 
the  Park  will  disclose  two  widely  different  character- 
istics as  regards  their  external  appearance  and  mode 
of  eruption.  On  this  basis  they  may  be  divided  into 
two  classes — the  fountain  geysers  and  the  cone 
geysers. 

In  the  fountain  geyser  there  is  no  cone  or  mound, 
but  in  its  place  a  considerable  pool  which  in  intervals 
of  rest  bears  perfect  resemblance  to  the  larger  qui- 
escent springs.  The  eruption  generally  consists  of  a 
succession  of  prodigious  impulses  by  which  vast  quan- 
tities of  water  are  thrown  up  one  after  another. 
There  is  ordinarily  no  continuous  jet.  To  geysers  of 
this  class,  Mackenzie's  and  Comstock's  theories  would 
seem  to  find  closer  application  than  to  any  others. 
Noted  examples  are  the  Fountain,  the  Great  Foun- 
tain, the  Grand  and  the  Giantess  Geysers. 

The  cone  geysers,  on  the  other  hand,  have  no  pool 
about  the  crater,  and  water  is  not  generally  visible  in 
the  tube.  There  is  always  a  self-built  cone  or  mound 
of  greater  or  less  prominence,  ranging  from  a  broad 
gently-sloping  mound,  like  that  of  Old  Faithful,  to  a 
huge  cone  like  that  of  the  Castle.  The  eruptions 
from  these  geysers  usually  take  the  form  of  a  continu- 
ous jet,  and  are  more  in  accordance  with  the  theory 


168 


THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


of  Bunsen.     Prominent  examples  are  the  Giant,  the 
Castle,  Old  Faithful,  the  Lone  Star,  and  the  Union. 


Terry  Enyr.  Co. 


J7.  S.  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories. 

CONE  OF  THE  GIANT  GEYSEK. 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


First  si-etch  erfr  made.*—Trumbul/. 


CONK  op  GIANT  GEYSER. 


An  interesting  and  singular  fact  pertaining  to  this 

*  This  sketch  and  a  similar  one  of  the  Castle  Geyser  cone  and 
two  of  the  Yellowstone  Falls  are  the  very  first  ever  made  of  these 


GEYSERS.  169 

region  is  that  in  most  cases  the  springs  and  geysers 
have  no  underground  connection  with  each  other. 
Water  in  contiguous  pools  stands  at  different  levels, 
and  powerful  geysers  play  with  no  apparent  effect 
upon  others  near  by. 

It  is  another  interesting  question  to  know  whence 
comes  the  water  for  these  geysers  and  hot  springs. 
Into  the  hidden  caverns  of  "  Old  Faithful "  flow  nearly 
a  millon  of  gallons  per  hour.  This  is  a  large-  stream, 
but  it  is  a  mere  trifle  compared  with  the  entire  outflow 
of  hot  water  throughout  the  Park.  The  subterranean 
;  passages  by  which  the  necessary  supply  is  furnished 
to  all  these  thousands  of  springs,  certainly  constitute 
the  most  intricate  and  extensive  system  of  water-works 
of  which  there  is  any  knowledge. 

Xot  least  wonderful  of  the  features  of  the  great 
geysers  are  the  marvelous  formations  which  surround 
them,  more  exquisitely  beautiful  than  any  production  of 
art.  They  are  really  much  handsomer  than  those  to 
be  found  around  the  ordinary  quiescent  springs.  The 
falling  or  the  dashing  of  the  hot  water  seems  to  be  in 
some  way  essential  to  the  finest  results.  To  say  that 
these  rocky  projections  simulate  cauliflower,  sponge, 
fleeces  of  wool,  flowers  or  bead- work,  conveys  but  a 
feeble  hint  of  their  marvelous  beauty.  It  is  indeed  a 

objects.-  They  were  made  in  1870  by  Walter  Trumbull,  a  member 
of  the  Washburn  Party,  and  by  Private  Charles  Moore,  one  of 
the  escort  under  Lieutenant  Doane.  Moore  was  a  man  of  excel- 
lent education  and  considerable  culture,  and  it  was  a  matter  of 
comment  among  the  members  of  the  Expedition  that  he  should 
be  content  with  the  condition  of  a  private  soldier.  His  quaint 
sketches  of  the  Falls  forcibly  remind  one  of  the  original  picture 
•of  Niagara  made  by  Father  Hennepin  in  1697. 


170 


THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


most   interesting  fact  that   nature   here   produces  in 
stone,  by  the  almost  mechanical  process  of  deposition 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


U.  S.  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories. 

SPECIMENS  OF  GEYSERITE. 


from  cooling  water,  the  identical  forms  elsewhere  pro- 
duced by  the  very  different  processes  of  animal  and 
vegetable  life. 

These  formations  are  all  silica  and  are  of  flinty 
hardness.  Bunsen,  and  Prof.  Le  Conte  following  him, 
assert  it  to  be  a  rule  that  the  presence  of  silica  in  the 
water  is  essential  to  the  development  of  a  geyser.  In 
one  sense  this  is  true,  and  in  another  it  is  not.  Should 
the  heated  waters  find  a  ready-made  tube,  like  a  fissure 
in  solid  rock,  this  would  serve  for  a  geyser  tube  as 
well  as  any  other.  The  Monarch  Geyser,  in  Xorris 
Geyser  Basin,  seems  to  have  originated  in  this  way. 
But  in  the  general  case,  geyser  tubes  are  built  up,  not 


GEYSERS.  171 

found  ready  made.  In  such  cases  silica  is  an  indis- 
pensable ingredient  of  the  water.  A  calcareous  de- 
posit, like  that  at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  would  lack 
strength  to  resist  the  violent  strain  of  an  eruption. 
So  it  is  found  to  be  a  fact  that  silica  is  the  chief  mineral 
ingredient  in  the  water  of  all  important  geysers. 


172  THE    YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HOT    SPRINGS. 

Under  this  general  head  will  be  included  all  thermal 
pnenomena  of  the  Park,  except  the  geysers.  The 
term  will  cover  the  quiescent  springs,  the  boiling 
springs,  the  mud  springs,  or  "  paint  pots,"  and  the 
steam  vents  and  fumaroles. 

The  quiescent  spring  seems  to  stand  at  the  opposite 
pole  from  the  geyser.  The  conditions  are  such  that 
the  water  nowhere  reaches  a  temperature  sensibly 
above  the  boiling  point.  The  surface  therefore  steams 
quietly  away,  unruffled  except  by  the  passing  breeze. 

The  great  attraction  of  these  springs  is  in  the  inimit- 
able coloring  of  the  water.  It  is  not  simply  the 
beautiful  green  or  blue  of  great  depths  of  clear  water. 
In  no  ordinary  pool  can  one  find  all  the  colors  of  the 
spectrum,  flitting  about,  as  though  seen  through  a 
revolving  prism.  Sometimes  there  is  an  irridescent  ef- 
fect similar  to  that  of  a  film  of  oil  upon  water;  but 
there  is  no  oil  here.  There  are  doubtless  many  con- 
tributing causes  that  produce  these  remarkable  effects. 
There  is  first  a  great  depth  of  clear  water  which  always 
presents  a  beautiful  appearance.  Then  there  are  the 
mineral  deposits  on  the  sides  of  the  crater,  producing 
indefinite  reflection,  the  effects  of  which  are  multiplied 
by  the  refractive  power  of  the  water.  The  mineral 
ingredients  dissolved  or  suspended  in  the  water  doubt- 
less add  to  the  effect. 

The  hot  springs  on  the  Gardiner  River  are  wholly 


HOT    SPRINGS. 


173 


different  in  character  from  those  in  any  other  part  of 
the  Park.     The  water  of  these  springs  holds  carbo- 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


CLEOPATRA  TERRACE. 


Haynes,  Photo.,  $5.  Paul. 


nate  of  lime  in  solution  while  most  of  the  others  con- 
tain silica.  To  this  fact  must  be  attributed  the  pe- 
culiar character  of  the  formations  at  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs.  Wherever  the  deposits  of  springs  are  cal- 
careous, the  character  of  the  formations  is  the  same, 
and  generally  different  from  those  produced  by  the 
deposit  of  silica.  They  rise  in  terraces  one  above  an- 
other, and  mold  for  themselves  overhanging  bowls  of 
transcendent  beauty  in  form  and  color.  In  the  tints 
displayed  by  the  water,  however,  these  springs  are  not 
unlike  others  in  the  Park. 

The  rims  about  the  quiescent  springs  are  often  very 
beautiful,  and  the  observer  is  astonished  to  see  how 
they  stand  up  above  the  general  surface  of  the  ground 
so  evenly  built  that  the  water  has  hardly  a  choice  of 


174  THK    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

route  in  flowing  away.  Tyndall,  however,  makes  this 
puzzling  phenomenon  clear.  He  says  : 

"  Imagine  the  case  of  a  simple  thermal  siliceous 
spring,  whose  waters  trickle  down  a  gentle  incline; 
the  water  thus  exposed  evaporates  speedily,  and  silica 
is  deposited.  This  deposit  gradually  elevates  the  side 
over  which  the  water  passes,  until  finally  the  latter 
has  to  take  another  course.  The  same  takes  place 
here;  the  ground  is  elevated  as  before,  and  the  spring 
has  to  move  forward.  Thus  it  is  compelled  to  travel 
round  and  round,  discharging  its  silica  and  deepening 
the  shaft  in  which  it  dwells,  until  finally,  in  the  course 
of  ages,  the  simple  spring  has  produced  that  wonder- 
ful apparatus  which  has  so  long  puzzled  and  aston- 
ished both  the  traveler  and  the  philosopher." 

The  boiling  spring  is  intermediate  between  the 
quiescent  spring  and  the  geyser.  The  circulation  is 
sufficiently  free  to  prevent  a  great  rise  of  temperature 
in  the  lower  depths  of  the  tube,  and  nothing  more 
than  a  surface  ebullition,  often  extremely  violent,  re- 
sults. These  springs  are  generally  objects  of  second- 
ary interest.  They  are  simply  enormous  caldrons; 
any  kettle  placed  over  a  brisk  fire  simulates  their  ac- 
tion on  a  small  scale. 

The  mud  springs,  or  Paint  Pots,  as  they  are  now  al- 
ways called,  are  extremely  curious  phenomena.  They 
are  caused  by  the  rising  of  steam  through  considera- 
ble depths  of  earthy  material.  The  water  is  just  suffi- 
cient in  quantity  to  keep  the  material  in  a  plastic  con- 
dition, and  the  steam  operates  upon  it  precisely  as  it 
does  upon  a  kettle  of  thick  mush.  Generally  there 
are  various  mineral  ingredients,  mostly  oxides  of  iron, 
which  impart  different  colors  to  different  parts  of  the 


HOT    SPRINGS.  175 

group.  As  the  steam  putts  up  here  and  there  from 
the  thick  mass,  it  forms  the  mud  into  a  variety  of  im- 
itative figures,  prominent  among  which  is  that  of  the 
lily.  These  figures  immediately  sink  back  into  the 
general  mass,  only  to  be  formed  anew  by  other  puffs 
of  steam.  The  material  is  so  fine  as  to  be  almost  im- 
palpable between  the  fingers.  Lieutenant  Doane,  how- 
ever, justly  observes  that  "mortar  might  well  be 
good  after  being  constantly  worked  for  perhaps  ten 
thousand  years." 

Other  phenomena  very  common  throughout  the 
Park  are  steam  vents  or  fumaroles  in  which  there 
is  no  water  or  only  a  very  small  quantity.  They  are 
not  ordinarily  of  much  popular  interest,  although 
there  are  a  few  remarkable  examples.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  the  Black  Growler  in  the  Norris 
Geyser  Basin,  and  Steamboat  Spring  on  the  east  shore 
of  the  Yellowstone  Lake. 

The  hot  spring  areas  of  the  Park  are  both  numerous 
and  extensive.  They  abound  throughout  the  valleys 
of  the  Yellowstone,  the  Madison,  and  the  Snake  Riv- 
ers, and  the  number  of  individual  springs  is  several 
thousand. 


176  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER   V. 

FOSSIL   FORESTS   OF   THE   YELLOWSTONE. 

A  region  of  great  popular  and  scientific  interest  in 
the  Yellowstone  Park,  although  as  yet  hardly  known 
to  the  tourist,  owing  to  the  incomplete  condition  of 
the  road  system,  is  that  of  the  Fossil  Forests  in  the 
north-east  corner  of  the  Park.  The  facts  which  have 
been  brought  to  light  concerning  the  origin  of  these 
forests  are  worthy  of  particular  consideration. 

The  trees  are  found  to  occur  in  different  planes  or 
horizons  of  growth,  one  above  another,  until  the 
whole  series  represents  a  thickness  of  many  hundreds, 
and  possibly  thousands,  of  feet.  Going  back  to  the 
first  of  these  growths,  it  is  found  to  have  been  de- 
stroyed by  an  outpouring  of  volcanic  material,  which 
partially  or  wholly  submerged  it.  After  the  flow  had 
ceased,  the  ordinary  atmospheric  and  aqueous  agen- 
cies began  work,  eroding  the  surface  in  some  places 
and  depositing  the  products  of  erosion  in  others, 
while  vegetation  rapidly  covered  the  newly-formed 
soil.  A  subsequent  flow  destroyed  this  second 
growth  and  gave  a  new  horizon,  on  which  the  same 
process  was  repeated.  This  continued  until  there 
were  at  least  nine,  and  probably  twelve,  of  these  con- 
secutive growths. 

The  lava  flows  in  this  particular  section  do  not 
seem  to  have  been  characterized  by  great  heat.  They 
were  composed  of  volcanic  agglomerate,  in  which 
there  was  a  large  admixture  of  mud  and  water,  with 


FOSSIL    FORESTS    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE.  177 


Terry  Jtlnyr.  Co.  V.  S.  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories. 

SECTION  OF  AMETHYST  MOUNTAINS. 

sufficient  heat  to  destroy  life,  but  not  to  char  or  con- 
sume its  products.  The  percolation  of  siliceous  waters 
gradually  turned  the  arboreal  vegetation  into  stone 


178 


THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


by  the  process  of  substitution,  and  tbus  preserved  in 
these  silent  monuments  a  record  of  the  events  which 
once  transpired  there.  When  the  last  of  the  erup- 
tions had  ceased,  there  existed  in  this  locality  a  vast 
depth  of  volcanic  ejectamenta,  composed  of  many 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


JIayntf,  Photo.,  St.  Paul. 

PETRIFIED  TREES  NEAR  YANCEY'S. 


layers,  on  each  of  which  was  standing,  buried  in  the 
layer  next  above,  the  trunks  of  extinct  forest  growths. 
After  the  cessation  of  volcanic  activity,  the  eroding 
agencies  of  the  Quarternary  Period  carved  out  the 
valley  of  the  Lamar  River  through  these  accumulated 
flows,  and  laid  bare  the  remains  of  their  vegetable 


FOSSIL  FORESTS  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE.          179 

growths.  To-day  the  tourist  may  see  upon  the  slopes 
of  Specimen  Ridge,  side  by  side,  the  living  and  the 
dead,  the  little  conifers  of  present  growth  and  the 
gigantic  trunks  of  unknown  species  which  flourished 
there  eons  ago. 

Some  of  the  petrifactions  are  very  perfect.  Roots, 
bark,  parts  showing  incipient  .decay,  worm  holes, 
leaves — all  are  preserved  with  absolute  fidelity.  The 
rings  of  annual  growth  may  be  counted,  and  these  in- 
dicate for  the  larger  trees  an  age  of  not  less  than  five 
hundred  years.  Some  of  the  stumps  are  fully  ten  feet 
in  diameter.  Here  and  there  the  ponderous  roots 
stand  imbedded  in  the  rock  face  of  the  cliff',  where 
erosion  has  not  yet  undermined  them.  In  one  case,  a 
large  tree  that  had  fallen  before  petrifaction  lies 
partly  exposed,  both  ends  being  still  imbedded  in  the 
rock.  Some  hollow  trees  show  interiors  beautifully 
lined  with  holocrystalline  quartz. 

How  long  it  took  each  growth  to  reach  maturity  ; 
how  long  it  flourished  afterward  before  destruction ; 
and  how  long  the  several  lava  flows  suspended  vegeta- 
ble growth;  are  matters  largely  conjectural.  But  at 
the  very  lowest  estimate  the  time  represented  by  these 
various  accumulations  can  not  be  less  than  five  thou- 
sand years. 

That  these  early  trees  were  of  a  different  species 
from  those  which  now  flourish  there,  need  not  excite 
surprise,  for  climatic  and  other  conditions  are  wholly 
changed.  But  an  equal  difference  seems  also  to  have 
prevailed  between  the  successive  growths,  the  trees  of 
which  were  not  only  unlike  each  other,  but  nearly  all 
were  of  species  hitherto  unknown  to  science.  Fortu- 
nately the  rare  perfection  of  some  of  the  specimens, 


1*0  THE    YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

particularly  of  the  leaves  and  bark,  have  greatly  sim- 
plified their  classification,  and  have  given  valuable 
clues  to  their  geologic  age. 

The  products  of  these  petrifactions  in  time  strewed 
the  surface  of  the  ground  with  such  an  abundance  of 
specimens  as  to  give  the  locality  its  present  name. 
Most  of  the  lighter  specimens,  and  some  of  the  heavier, 
have  been  carried  away. 

Besides  the  general  interest  of  these  old  forests  to 
the  casual  observer,  they  are  of  great  value  to  science, 
for  probably  in  no  other  part  of  the  globe  can  a  sim- 
ilar chapter  of  its  history  be  found  more  clearly  re- 
corded. 


FAUNA    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE.  181 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FAUNA    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE. 

The  universal  curiosity  of  people  to  see  what  are 
popularly  called  wild  animals,  especially  those  larger 
species  which  never  frequent  the  precincts  of  civiliza- 
tion, is  a  fact  of  which  it  is  not  easy  to  give  a 
philosophical  explanation.  In  this  country  the  rapid 
disappearance,  amounting  almost  to  annihilation,  of 
the  large  game  is  looked  upon  as  a  great  misfortune ; 
and  in  later  years  there  has  arisen  a  fixed  purpose 
that  protection  shall  be  secured  fur  the  surviving  rem- 
nants of  those  species  which  once  with  the  red  man 
held  possession  of  the  continent.  The  statutes  of 
nearly  every  state  give  evidence  of  the  universality  of 
this  sentiment. 

As  a  means  of  accomplishing  such  a  purpose,  no 
institution  promises  to  be  more  effectual  than  the 
Yellowstone  Park.  It  ought,  in  this  respect,  to  be  a 
complete  realization  of  Catlin's  dream.  Its  impor- 
tance as  a  game  preserve  was  recognized  in  the  Act  of 
Dedication,  and  has  become  more  and  more  pronounced 
as  acquaintance  with  it  has  increased. 

The  Park  is  fortunately  better  adapted  for  this  pur- 
pose than  any  other  tract  of  similar  extent  in  America. 
It  offers  very  little  to  tempt  the  cupidity  of  man.  Its 
mineral  wealth  is  buried  so  deeply  under  the  lava  that 
no  miner  will  ever  reach  it.  Its  altitude  and  climate 
unfit  it  for  agriculture.  Its  forests,  though  excellent 
for  shade,  are  of  little  value  for  lumber.  But  as  a 


182 


THE   YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


home  for  the  native  species  of  the  continent,  it  pos- 
sesses unrivaled  advantages.  These  are  admirably 
summed  up  in  the  following  paragraph  from  the  pen 
of  Prof.  Hague : 

"  The  broad  expanse  of  forest  incloses  sequestered 
nooks,  and  enticing  grassy  parks,  with  absolute  se- 
clusion in  mountain  recesses  admirably  adapted  for  the 
homes  of  wild  animals.  It  is  the  great  diversity  of 
its  physical  features,  ottering  within  a  restricted  area 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


PARK  ELK. 


Haynes,  Photo.,  St.  Paul. 


all  the  requirements  for  animal  life,  which  fits 
it  for  the  home  of  big  game.  Abundant  food  supply, 
shelter  from  wind  and  weather  in  winter,  cool  resorts 
on  the  uplands  in  summer,  favorable  localities  for 
breeding  purposes  and  the  rearing  of  young,  all  are 
found  here.  The  Park  supplies  what  is  really  needed — 
a  zoological  reservation  where  big  game  may  roam  un- 


FAUNA    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE. 


183 


molested  by  the  intrusion  of  man,  rather  than  a 
zoological  garden  inclosed  by  fences,  and  the  game  fed 
or  sustained  more  or  less  by  artificial  methods."  * 

It  is  a  matter  of  profound  regret  that  the  many  years 
of  lax  administration  in  the  Park  to  a  great  degree 
nullified  its  purposes  as  a  game  preserve.  Killing  of 
wild  animals  was  not  absolutely  prohibited  until  1883, 
and  the  restricted  license  previously  in  force  was 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


PARK  BUFFALO. 


Haynes,  Photo.,  St.  Paul. 


shamefully  abused.  Some  of  the  larger  species  were 
greatly  reduced  in  numbers,  while  in  a  few  instances 
they  were  practically  exterminated.  In  later  years, 
the  elk,  antelope,  deer,  bear  and  beaver,  have  rapidly 
regained  their  former  numbers,  and  there  is  no  reason 
to  apprehend  their  extinction.  There  are  now  no  fewer 

*  "  The  Yellowstone  National  Park  as  a  Game  Preserve."     See 
Appendix  E. 


184  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

than  30,000  elk  in  the  Park.  For  the  buffalo,  mountain 
sheep,  and  a  few  other  varieties,  the  prospect  is  good, 
though  not  so  flattering.  The  number  of  buffalo  does 
not  probably  exceed  two  hundred,  and  the  possibility 
of  their  early  extinction  has  led  the  Smithstonian  In- 
stitution to  allot  a  sum  of  money  for  the  construction 
of  a  large  inclosure  in  the  Park,  where  at  least  a  por- 
tion of  the  herd  can  be  kept  and  be  thus  more  care- 
fully protected.  Of  the  moose,  mountain  lion,  wolver- 
ine, lynx,  wild  cat,  marten,  and  otter  the  perpetuation 
is  more  doubtful.  They  were  too  much  reduced  in 
numbers  during  the  game  slaughtering  era.  The 
smaller  species,  such  as  porcupines,  foxes,  gophers, 
squirrels,  woodchucks,  and  the  like,  flourish  in  great 
numbers. 

The  tourist  often  feels  a  keen  disappointment  in 
passing  through  the  Park  in  that  he  does  not  see  more 
game,  and  he  not  infrequently  expresses  positive  doubts 
of  its  existence.  He  should  remember,  however,  that 
it  is  the  nature  of  wild  game  to  shun  the  haunts  of 
man.  If  he  will  remain  for  some  time  in  the  Park 
and  will  frequent  those  regions  remote  from  the  tour- 
ists routes  he  will  see  game  in  plenty.  In  one  im- 
portant instance  he  rarely  goes  away  disappointed. 
Bruin  generally  accommodates  him.  The  fine  in- 
stincts of  that  intelligent  brute  have  shown  him  that 
it  is  much  easier  to  get  a  living  from  the  refuse 
about  the  hotels  than  to  forage  for  it  in  the  wilds 
of  parsimonious  nature.  Nightfall,  therefore,  always 
brings  him  about  to  the  great  delight  of  the  game- 
seeking  tourist.  The  incidents  of  each  season  to 
which  these  bears  unwittingly  give  rise*  are  among  the 
amusing  features  of  tourist  life  in  that  region. 


FAUNA    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE.  185 

The  herbivorous  game  generally  seek  the  seclusion 
of  the  hills  in  summer,  but  the  deep  snows  of  winter 
will  not  permit  them  to  remain  there.  At  that  season 
they  descend  to  the  valleys,  of  which  the  most  im- 
portant are  the  Hayden,  the  Junction,  and  the  Pelican 
Valleys,  and  those  about  the  headwaters  of  the  Snake 
River.  The  preservation  of  these  tracts  as  a  free 
winter  pasturage  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  per- 
petuity of  game  in  the  Yellowstone  Park. 

Although  an  ornithologist,  in  passing  through  the 
Park,  would  report  a  list  of  native  birds  so  extensive 
as  to  lead  one  to  think  that  they  abound  in  great 
numbers,  there  is  really  a  noticeable  absence  of  the 
winged  tribes.  There  are  birds,  of  course,  but  in 
numbers,  variety,  and  beauty  not  to  be  compared 
with  those  in  lower  altitudes.  The  only  varieties  that 
would  attract  attention  from  any  but  specialists  are 
the  larger  birds,  which  are  often  quite  plentiful  about 
the  lakes.  There  are  great  numbers  of  pelicans,  gulls, 
fish-hawks,  and  cranes,  with  now  and  then  a  wild 
swan.  Eagles  are  not  uncommon,  while  hawks,  wood- 
peckers, and  robins  are  frequently  seen.  The  sharp- 
tailed  or  willow  grouse  is  common,  and  in  the  fall  of 
the  year  astonishing  numbers  of  wild  geese  and  ducks 
frequent  the  marshes.  There  are  many  other  varieties, 
conspicuous  mainly  for  their  paucity  of  numbers. 

Piscatorially  speaking,  the  Yellowstone  National 
Park  has  no  rival  as  a  paradise  for  the  angler.  The 
generous  gift  of  nature  and  the  admirable  work  of 
the  United  States  Fish  Commission,  supplemented  by 
the  wise  protection  of  the  government,  leave  nothingto 
be  desired  by  even  the  most  devout  follower  of  Isaak 
Walton. 


186  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Not  all  the  streams  of  the  Park  were  originally 
stocked  with  fish.  Where  the  waters  leave  the  great 
volcanic  plateau  and  fall  to  the  underlying  forma- 
tions, the  cataracts  form  impassable  barriers  to  the 
ascent  of  fish.  In  the  lower  courses  of  all  the 
streams  there  were  native  trout,  but  above  the  falls, 
with  one  exception,  there  were  none.  The  exception 
of  the  Yellowstone  River  and  Lake  is  a  most  interest- 
ing one.  Why  the  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone,  the 
highest  and  most  impassable  of  all,  should  apparently 
have  proven  no  barrier,  is  at  first  a  puzzling  question. 
But  the  solution  is  to  be  found  in  Two-Ocean  Pass. 
Across  this  remarkable  divide  fish  may  easily  make 
their  way,  and  the  Yellowstone  Lake  is  unquestion- 
ably stocked  from  this  direction.  We  thus  have  an 
example,  probably  without  parallel,  of  an  extensive 
body  of  water  on  the  Atlantic  slope  stocked  by  nature 
with  fish  from  the  Pacific. 

The  trout  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake  are  to  some  ex- 
tent infected  with  a  disease  which  renders  them  unfit 
for  eating.  In  earlier  times  particularly,  this  condi- 
tion was  generally  prevalent.  But  more  recently  the 
disease  seems  to  be  disappearing,  and  in  time  it  will 
probably  die  out  altogether. 

In  1889  and  1890,  the  United  States  Fish  Commis- 
sion undertook  to  stock  all  the  fishless  streams  in  the 
Park,  and  planted  about  83,000  yearling  trout  in  the 
various  streams  and  lakes.  The  varieties  were  Brook, 
Lake,  Lock  Leven,  and  Von  Behr  trout.  Recent  ex- 
amination of  these  plants  shows  that  all  have  taken 
decisive  root,  and  that  within  a  few  years  there  will 
not  be  a  hidden  stream  or  lake  in  the  Park  which  will 
be  without  its  attractions  for  the  sportsman. 


FLORA    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE.  187 


CHAPTER   VII. 

FLORA    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE. 

The  most  conspicuous  feature  of  the  Park  flora  is 
the  wide  extent  of  forest  growth  which  covers  some 
eighty-four  per  cent  of  its  area.  This  is  the  more  no- 
ticeable because  the  surrounding  country  below  the 
mountains  is  practically  treeless.  The  Park  forests 
consist  almost  exclusively  of  pine  and  fir.  The  trees 
are  generally  tall  and  slender  and  of  little  use  for 
lumber.  They  are  usually  unattractive  in  appearance, 
although  in  some  places  among  the  mountains  the 
spruce  and  fir  attain  a  size,  form  and  hue  of  foliage 
that  are  exceedingly  beautiful. 

Among  the  several  species  may  be  noted  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Black  pine  (Pinus  Murrayana)  so  called  from  the 
dark  hue  of  its  foliage  when  seen  in  dense  bodies. 

Bed  fir  (Pseudotsuga  Doaglasii)  the  largest  variety 
in  the  Park,  sometimes  attaining  a  diameter  of  five 
feet. 

Balsam  (Abies  subalpin.a).  It  flourishes  near  the 
snow  fields  and  is  the  beauty  of  the  forest. 

Spruce  (Pinus  Engdmanni).  Like  the  preceding  it 
flourishes  at  high  altitudes.  It  is  tall  and  slender, 
and  is  good  for  lumber. 

Red  cedar  (Janiperus  mrginiana)  is  found  to  a  limited 
extent. 

Poplar  or  aspen  (Populus  tremuloides')  flourishes 
among  the  sheltered  foothills. 


188  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Dwarf  maple  is  occasionally  found. 

Willow  thickets  abound  in  great  abundance. 

Of  these  varieties  the  first  is  found  more  abundantly 
than  all  the  others  combined.  In  many  places  it  has 
fallen  down  and  strews  the  country  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  be  absolutely  impassable  on  horseback.  There  is 
very  little  timber  of  marketable  value,  and  at  first 
thought  it  would  seem  that  nature  has  here  lavished 
her  energies  in  a  most  wasteful  manner. 

But  the  great  value  of  these  forest  growths,  is  their 
agency  in  the  conservation  of  a  water  supply  for  the 
surrounding  country.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  show 
that  the  Park  is  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  arid  region  ex- 
tending far  into  the  surrounding  states.  The  recla- 
mation of  these  desert  wastes,  and  their  conversion 
into  productive  lands,  can  be  accomplished  by  irriga- 
tion alone,  and  for  this  purpose  the  abundant  streams 
which  descend  from  the  mountains  are  the  indispensa- 
ble water  supply. 

From  the  summit  of  the  Grand  Teton,  the  range  of 
vision  covers  probably  the  most  remarkable  group  of 
river  sources  upon  the  earth.  To  the  north  rises  the 
Missouri  which  flows  three  thousand  miles  through 

O 

Montana,  the  Dakotas,  Iowa,  Nebraska,  Kansas  and 
Missouri.  To  the  east  rises  the  Yellowstone,  which, 
after  leaving  the  Park,  flows  four  hundred  miles 
through  southern  and  eastern  Montana  until  it  unites 
with  the  Missouri.  From  the  eastern  foot-hills  of 
the  Absaroka  and  Shoshone  Ranges  flow  the  Wind 
and  Big  Horn  Rivers  through  the  extensive  valleys  of 
the  same  names  in  Wyoming  and  Montana.  South- 
wardly, across  the  Wind  River  Range  rises  the  Platte 
which  flows  eastward  eight  hundred  miles  through 


FLORA    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE.  189 

Wyoming  and  Nebraska.  From  the  west  flank  of 
these  mountains  issue  the  tributaries  of  the  Green 
River  (afterward  the  Colorado)  which  flows  through 
Wyoming,  Utah  and  Arizona  into  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia. Finally,  interlaced  with  the  sources  of  the 
Yellowstone,  and  the  Missouri,  are  those  of  the  Snake 
River  which  flows  through  Wyoming,  Idaho  and  Wash- 
ington into  the  Columbia,  and  thus  reaches  the  Pacific. 

Not  only  do  these  streams  rise  in  this  limited  area ; 
they  derive  from  it  most  of  their  waters.  In  the  arid 
lowlands  they  receive  but  slight  accessions,  and  often 
actually  shrink  under  evaporation.  It  is  therefore 
from  a  relatively  small  tract  of  country  that  the 
future  water  supply  must  come  for  portions  of  ten 
states  in  the  great  arid  belt  of  the  west. 

The  conditions  which  nature  has  established  around 
this  remarkable  fountain-head  are  admirably  adapted 
for  the  creation  and  maintenance  of  an  unlimited  wa- 
ter supply.  Over  an  area  of  more  than  5,000  square 
miles  there  prevails  an  average  altitude  of  perhaps 
7,500  feet ;  sufficient  to  insure  enormous  annual  snow- 
falls, but  not  so  great  as  to  prevent  their  complete 
melting  in  summer.  But,  that  they  may  not  melt  too 
rapidly,  the  whole  region  is  covered  with  a  thick  for- 
est growth  cutting  ofl*  the  intense  rays  of  the  summer 
sun,  and  covering  the  ground  with  a  vegetable  mold 
through  whieh  the  surface  waters  filter  but  slowly. 
It  is  a  conservative  estimate,  based  upon  observations 
in  connection  with  road  work  in  the  Park,  that  these 
forests  prolong  the  melting  of  the  snows  from  four  to 
six  weeks.  This  condition  greatly  lessens  the  liability 
to  sudden  floods,  and  maintains  a  generous  supply  of 
water  far  into  the  summer. 


190        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

It  has  been  estimated*  that  from  the  Park  alone,  at 
low  water,  there  flows  per  second  4,000  cubic  feet  of 
water.  If  the  time  ever  conies  when  this  supply  is 
so  far  used  as  to  threaten  exhaustion,  there  will  be 
found  in  the  basin  of  Yellowstone  Lake  the  most 
perfect  facilities  in  the  world  for  the  construction  of 
an  artificial  reservoir  of  almost  limitless  capacity  at  a 
comparatively  insignificant  cost.  A  dam  could  be 
thrown  across  the  gorge  at  the  first  rapids  in  the 
Yellowstone  below  the  Lake,  and  without  injuring 
the  natural  condition  of  that  region,  could  easily  be 
made  to  quadruple  the  present  capacity  of  the  Lake. 

The  Park  with  its  contiguous  area  thus  presents 
magnificent  possibilities  in  the  development  of  the 
surrounding  country — possibilities  of  which  its  found- 
ers little  dreamed,  but  which  they  unconsciously  fore- 
shadowed when  they  declared  that  this  region  should 
be  forever  set  apart  for  the  "  benefit "  as  well  as  for 
the  "  enjoyment "  of  the  people. 

Besides  its  wealth  of  trees,  the  Park  produces  other 
interesting  flora.  Interspersed  among  the  forests  and 
ornamenting  the  open  glades  are  flowers  and  shrubs 
in  endless  profusion.  We  quote  from  the  description 
of  one  of  the  early  visitors  : 

"  The  choke-cherry,  the  goose-berry,  the  buffalo- 
berry,  and  black  and  red  currants,  are  found  along 
the  streams  and  in  moist  places  of  the  middle  and 
lower  altitudes.  The  meadows  and  hill-sides  are 
spangled  with  bright-colored  flowers,  among  which 
may  be  noted  the  bee-larkspur,  the  columbine,  the 
harebell,  the  lupine,  the  evening  primrose,  the  aster, 


By  Dr.  William  Hallock,  United  States  Geological  Survey. 


FLORA    OP    THE    YELLOWSTONE.  191 

the  painted  cup,  the  gentian,  and  various  kinds  of 
euphorbia.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  daises,  but- 
tercups, forget-me-nots,  white-ground  phlox,  and  other 
field  flowers  flourishing  in  profusion  near  the  melting 
snow  banks  during  the  month  of  August.  Scarcely 
a  night  throughout  the  year  passes  without  frost,  even 
though  the  temperature  by  day  is  over  80  F.,  so  that  all 
forms  of  vegetation  in  the  Park  grow  and  bloom  un- 
der somewhat  unusual  conditions.  Indeed,  when  ice 
forms  in  the  water-pails  of  camping  parties  during 
the  night,  as  often  happens,  and  the  petals  of  the 
flowers  become  crisp  with  frost ;  even  then  the  blooms 
are  not  harmed,  but  thaw  out  bright  and  fresh  when 
the  hot  sun  touches  them." 

The  flowers  form  a  most  attractive  feature  of  the 
Park,  and  give  an  interesting  study  of  the  way  in 
which  altitude  and  temperature  affect  well  known 
varieties.  It  is  only  after  a  second  look  that  one  can 
trace  in  the  mountain  dandelion,  huckleberry,  and 
other  species  a  resemblance  to  those  of  lower  altitudes. 
The  extreme  shortness  of  the  season  causes  vegeta- 
tion to  mature  quickly,  and  before  the  flush  of  spring 
has  disappeared  from  the  leaves  the  palor  of  autumn 
makes  its  appearance. 

The  mountain  grasses  are  generally  abundant  in 
the  open  country  and  even  in  many  places  among  the 
forests.  The  writer  just  quoted  says: 

"The  pasturage  on  the  many  open  spaces  is  excellent, 
the  mountain  meadows  being  covered  with  a  mat  of 
nutritious  grasses.  The  predominating  variety  is  the 
bunch  grass,  upon  which  the  horses  of  tourists  gen- 
erally subsist,  keeping  in  good  condition  without  the 
need  of  oats.  Among  other  kinds,  are  the  blue  joint, 


192  THE    YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

fescue,  and  beard  grasses,  as  well  as  Alpine  timothyr 
all  of  which  grow  luxuriantly." 

The  early  autumns  tinge  the  foliage  of  the  willow 
parks  and  other  groups  of  shrubbery  with  a  wealth 
of  color  not  often  seen  elsewhere.  Even  the  frost  on 
the  grass  upon  sharp  mornings  seems  to  have  a  pecu- 
liar beauty,  and  one  may  trace  terrestrial  rainbows  in 
all  the  perfection  of  those  set  in  the  sky. 


THE    PARK    IN    WINTER.  193 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    PARK    IN    WINTER. 

From  the  end  of  September  to  the  end  of  May  the 
Park  is  closed  to  the  tourist;  that  is,  the  hotels  do  not 
receive  guests,  and  camping  is  too  precarious  to  be  at- 
tempted. It  is  generally  possible,  however,  to  get 
.into  the  Park  as  late  as  the  middle  or  end  of  Novem- 
ber, very  rarely  as  late  as  Christmas.  In  May,  the 
snowfalls  are  light,  but  the  accumulations  of  the  pre- 
vious winter  render  traveling  out  of  the  question. 
With  great  difficulty  the  hotel  company  reaches  its 
nearest  hotels  as  early  as  May  16.  Some  of  the  roads 
remain  impassable  fully  a  month  later. 

What  the  fall  of  snow  is  in  the  upper  Park  has 
never  been  determined  ;  but  at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs, 
altitude  6,200  feet,  an  average  for  six  years,  from 
November  to  April  inclusive,  is  ten  feet  per  year, 
with  a  maximum  of  fifteen  feet  and  a  minimum  of 
five.  But  on  the  Park  Plateau,  1,000  to  1,500  feet 
higher,  the  fall  is  certainly  much  greater.  No  doubt 
its  light  depth  aggregates  twenty  feet.  The  weight 
of  this  snow  often  destroys  the  railing  of  bridges  and 
injures  the  buildings  of  the  Park. 

The  drifts  accumulate  in  phenomenal  magnitude. 
No  matter  how  deep  a  ravine  may  be,  the  wind  will 
pile  the  snow  up  in  it  until  it  is  level  with  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Some  of  these  drifts  on  the 
mountain  sides  are  hundreds  of  feet  deep  and  never 
entirely  melt  away.  Even  on  the  general  plateau 


194       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

they  last  until  the  middle  of  July.  The  Canon 
Hotel  is  almost  buried  every  winter.  The  snow 
actually  reaches  the  second  story  windows,  and  the 
drift  behind  the  hotel  would  last  throughout  the 
summer  were  its  melting  not  facilitated  by  cutting  it 
in  pieces  with  shovels.  It  verily  seems  that  all  the 
conditions  of  climate  here  conspire  to  make  this  re- 
gion one  of  the  snowiest  in  the  world. 

Of  course,  general  access  to  the  Park  under  such 
conditions  is  wholly  out  of  the  question.  Only  on 
snow-shoes  is  it  possible  at  all.  The  hotel  company 
has  a  watchman  at  each  of  its  buildings,  who  drags 
out  a  lonely  existence  through  the  two  hundred  days 
from  November  to  May.  He  can  talk  over  the  tele- 
phone line  with  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  and  at  long 
intervals  he  receives  a  call,  and  perhaps  mail,  from 
"  Telephone  Pete,"  who  travels  the  line  to  keep  it  in 
order.  In  some  places,  also,  small  squads  of  soldiers 
are  stationed  for  the  winter. 

The  art  of  traveling  by  snow-shoe  is  a  thoroughly 
interesting  one,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  is 
about  the  most  difficult  method  of  travel  known  and 
is  rarely  resorted  to  except  from  sheer  necessity. 

The  instrument  used  in  the  Park  for  this  purpose  is 
called  a  ski  (pronounced  skee).  It  is  a  long  slender 
strip  of  wood — ash,  Norway  pine,  or  hickory — some 
twelve  feet  long,  four  or  five  inches  wide,  and  just 
thick  enough  to  give  needed  strength.  About  mid- 
way of  its  length  is  a  strap  through  which  the  toe  is 
slipped  and  by  which  the  foot  pulls  the  ski  along. 
The  bearing  surface  of  the  two  skis  is  about  eight 
square  feet,  and  holds  the  weight  of  the  body  even  in 
soft  snow  without  sinking  more  than  a  few  inches. 


THE    PARK    IN    WINTER.  195 

The  bottom  surface  is  polished  smooth  and  then 
rubbed  with  a  mixture  of  tallow  and  beeswax  to 
make  it  free  from  friction.  A  pole  is  an  important 
accompaniment,  aiding  to  slide  the  traveler  along  and 
steady  him  on  the  skis.  It  also  serves  as  a  brake  in 
descending  steep  hills,  the  traveler  sitting  astride  it 
and  bearing  the  rear  end  into  the  snow. 

Down  hill  work  is  indeed  glorious.  No  express 
train  can  rival  the  ski  for  speed.  Its  only  drawback  is 
danger  of  accident.  On  level  country  ski  traveling  is 
simply  walking  on  a  board  walk,  except  that  the  pe- 
destrian carries  the  board  with  him,  and  makes  and 
unmakes  the  road  as  fast  as  he  goes.  This  is  hard 
enough,  especially  if  the  snow  is  sticky,  but  when 
it  comes  to  up  hill  traveling  it  is  a  truly  laborious 
matter.  If  the  hill  is  steep,  there  is  danger  of  losing 
one's  grip  on  the  snow  and  sliding  backward  down 
the  hill.  Where  the  ascent  is  too  steep  to  work  up  by 
direct  forward  movement,  "corduroying"  is  resorted 

•f  CD 

to.  The  traveler  works  up  sidewise,  stepping  up  a 
foot  or  so  with  the  upper  ski  and  following  with  the 
lower.  Generally  this  sidewise  movement  is  combined 
with  a  slight  forward  movement,  the  skis  being  pointed 
up  hill  at  as  steep  an  inclination  as  they  will  hold. 

The  dress  and  equipment  of  the  snow-shoe  traveler 
are  reduced  to  a  minimum  consistent  with  protection 
from  the  climate.  This  protection  is  really  needed 
only  at  camping  places,  for  the  extraordinary  exertion 
of  traveling  keeps  the  body  in  a  continuous  glow  of 
warmth.  Generally,  warm  woolen  underwear,  with  can- 
vas surface  garments  to  keep  out  the  wind  and  to 
shed  snow,  are  the  essential  features  of  the  dress.  No 
overcoat  is  worn,  but  a  tightly  drawn  belt  takes  its 


190 


THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


place.  The  feet  are  the  weak  point.  "Natural  wool 
socks,  then  a  pair  of  Indian  moccasins,  then  a  pair 
of  heavy  gray  army  socks,  then  Arctic  overshoes  and 
leggings,"  is  the  description  of  an  equipment  actually 
used.  A  broad  hat  is  frequently  worn  to  keep  snow 
out  of  the  neck,  and  colored  glasses  are  indispensable 
to  prevent  snow  blindness. 

Baggage  is  limited  to  the  strictest  necessities,  and  is 
so  packed  that  it  will  rest  uniformly  on  the  back  from 
the  shoulders  to  the  hips. 

No  eating  of  snow  or  drinking  of  water  can  be 
safely  indulged  in  while  en  route.  The  traveler  must 
go  strictly  "  dry  "  between  meals. 

Of  course  traveling  of  this  sort  is  attended  with 
much  peril.  A  man  must  rely  wholly  on  himself.  No 
wagon  or  saddle  is  available  if  he  is  injured  or  sick. 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


Haynes,  Photo.,  St.  Paul. 

GEYSER  BASINS  IN  WINTER. 


Heavy  storms  may  blind  him  and  cause  him  to  lose 
his  way.     In  short,  a  snowshoe  trip  through  the  Park 


THE    PARK    IN    WINTER.  197 

is  an  undertaking  which  requires  a  vigorous  physique, 
a  determined  will,  and  a  good  fund  of  courage.  Very 
few,  except  those  whose  duty  has  required  it,  have 
ever  made  the  attempt.  But  it  is  the  unanimous  ver- 
dict of  those  who  have,  that,  glorious  as  the  Park  is 
in  summer,  it  is  even  more  glorious  in  winter.  One 
can  readily  understand  this  to  be  so.  Evergreen  for- 
ests never  appear  to  better  advantage  than  when  laden 
with  snow.  Ice  formations  always  enhance  the  beauty 
of  waterfalls.*  The  rolling  open  valleys  of  the  Park 
must  be  doubly  beautiful  when  robed  in  drifted  snow. 
It  is  a  pity  that  this  silvery  landscape  should  forever 
remain  excluded  from  the  general  view. 

*  For  picture  of  Grand  Canon  in  winter,  see  p.  257. 


198  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE    PARK    AS    A    HEALTH    RESORT. 

The  climate  of  the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  to 
any  one  with  a  fair  reserve  of  health,  is  of  the  most 
beneficial  kind.  The  general  public  will  be  interested 
in  the  subject  only  as  it  relates  to  that  season  when  it 
is  possible  to  visit  the  Park. 

For  the  six  months  beginning  with  May,  the  aver- 
age temperature  will  not  vary  much  from  the  follow- 
ing figures,  Fahrenheit : 

Maximum.     Minimum.     Mean. 

May 77°  25°  49° 

June 87°  30°  55° 

July 91°  36°  64° 

August 90°  36°  61° 

September 85°  25°  54° 

October 72°  18°  41° 

These  temperatures  are  for  Mammoth  Hot  Springs. 
For  the  Park  Plateau  they  should  be  diminished  by 
not  less  than  ten  degrees.  No  month  of  the  year  in 
that  region  passes  without  ice-forming  frosts.  It  will 
be  seen  that  during  June,  July,  August,  and  Septem- 
ber, the  thermometer  makes  excursions  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  nineties.  This,  however,  is  only  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  and  is  due  to  the  direct  in- 
tensity of  the  sun's  rays.  No  such  heat  pervades  the 
general  atmosphere.  As  soon  as  the  sun  is  near  set- 
ting, the  temperature  falls  rapidly.  The  night  tem- 
perature rarely  gets  above  55°  or  60°,  and  averages 


THE    PARK    AS    A    HEALTH    RESORT.  199 

scarcely  half  as  much.  The  Park  is  noted  for  its  de- 
lightful sleep-giving  qualities,  which  constitute  no 
small  part  of  its  claim  as  a'health  resort. 

Summer  in  the  Park  is  comparatively  short.  It 
may  not  be  strictly  true  that  "  the  Park  has  only  three 
seasons,  July,  August,  and  "Winter,"  but  it  is  true 
that  July  and  August  are  the  only  two  months  free 
from  the  ordinary  characteristics  of  winter.  Snows 
are  frequent  in  June  and  September,  while  May  and 
October  are  well  on  the  snowy  side  of  the  year.  July 
and  August  are  the  Park  summer.  The  weather  is 
settled.  The  air  is  pure  and  bracing  and  not  too 
cold.  The  long  imprisoned  vegetation  bursts  sud- 
denly into  full  life  and  beauty,  and  in  a  short  period 
take  place  all  the  changes  which  require  months  in 
lower  altitudes. 

That  there  is  life  and  health  in  that  summer  atmos- 
phere, no  one  who  has  breathed  it  will  deny.  At  the 
same  time,  as  has  already  been  hinted,  it  is  healthful 
only  for  those  who  have  some  foundation  to  build 
upon.  Persons  suffering  from  any  form  of  heart 
disease  or  advanced  pulmonary  trouble,  or  those 
greatly  reduced  in  strength  from  any  cause,  would 
better  stay  away.  The  altitude  and  sharp  air  might 
prove  too  severe. 

A  matter  which  has  naturally  attracted  considerable 
inquiry  is  the  therapeutic  value  of  the  mineral  springs 
of  the  Park.  The  superstitious  faith  in  the  efficacy 
of  mineral  waters  to  restore  health,  which  has  char- 
acterized mankind  in  all  ages,  caused  the  physically 
afflicted  to  hail  the  discovery  of  that  region  as  the 
promised  fountain  of  new  life.  The  first  explorers  to 
.ascend  the  Gardiner  in  1871  found  "  numbers  of  in- 


200  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

valids"  encamped  on  its  banks,  where  the  hot  waters 
from  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  enter  the  stream  ;  and  it 
is  recorded  that  "  they  were  most  emphatic  in  their 
favorable  expressions  in  regard  to  their  sanitary 
effects." 

But  this  impression  was  very  evanescent.  No  one 
now  goes  to  the  Park  because  of  its  mineral  waters. 
Nevertheless,  it  would  be  wholly  premature  to  assume, 
that  there  is  no  medicinal  virtue  in  them.  Certainly 
there  is  in  the  Park  almost  every  variety  of  mineral 
spring;  there  are  abundant  and  luxurious  waters  for 
bathing ;  and  it  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  the  op- 
portunities afforded  in  this  region  may  yet  be  utilized 
to  the  great  advantage  of  the  public. 

But  for  health-giving  qualities,  the  Park  will  never 
be  dependent  on  its  mineral  waters.  Its  true  value 
lies  in  other  and  more  potent  influences.  The  pure 
water  of  its  snow-fed  streams,  the  exhilarating  atmos- 
phere, the  bracing  effect  of  altitude,  the  wholesome 
fatigue  of  daily  rambles  over  the  rough,  mountainous 
country,  the  fragrant  odor  of  the  pine  boughs  which 
every-where  pervades  the  atmosphere,  and,  above  all, 
the  beautiful  and  varied  scenery,  which  exalts  the 
mind  and  diverts  the  attention  from  cares  that  are 
too  often  the  real  cause  of  physical  ills — these  are  the 
true  virtues  of  the  Yellowstone  Park  as  a  health 
resort. 


ROADS,  HOTELS,  TRANSPORTATION.         201 


CHAPTER  X. 

ROADS,  HOTELS,  TRANSPORTATION. 

The  Park,  as  is  well  known,  is  a  very  extensive 
tract  of  country,  and  its  various  points  of  interest  are 
widely  separated  from  each  other.  The  question  of 
ways  and  means  for  getting  comfortably  through  it  is 
an  all-important  one.  If  the  roads  are  bad,  the  hotels 
ill-kept,  or  the  transportation  uncomfortable,  no 
amount  of  grandeur  of  natural  scenery  can  compen- 
sate for  these  defects.  In  making  a  tour  of  the  Park, 
the  visitor  travels  not  less  than  150  miles,  sometimes 
considerably  more,  and  remains  in  the  Park  about 
one  week.  He  is  thus  quite  at  the  mercy  of  those 
who  have  the  management  .and  control  of  those  mat- 
ters which  form  the  subject  of  this  chapter. 

The  road  system  of  the  Park,  when  completed,  will 
comprise  a  belt  line,  connecting  the  principal  centers 
of  interest ;  approaches,  by  which  access  may  be  had  to 
the  Park  from  different  directions;  side  roads,  leading 
from  the  main  route  to  isolated  points  of  interest ; 
and  trails,  by  which  pack  outfits  can  reach  desired 
points  to  which  regular  roads  will  never  be  built. 

The  belt  line  includes  Mammoth  Hot  Springs, 
Morris  Geyser  Basin,  Lower  Geyser  Basin,  Upper 
Geyser  Basin,  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  the  Grand 
Canon,  and  Junction  Valley.  A  cross-road  passes 
from  JsTorris  to  the  Grand  Cafion. 

The  approaches  are  not  all  yet  selected,  but  in  time 
there  will  be  at  least  one  on  each  side  of  the  Park. 


202        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

Trails  are  important  adjuncts  of  the  Park  road  sys- 
tem. They  were  long  ago  selected  and  opened  up, 
and  they  are  of  great  importance  in  patroling  the 
Park.  They  are  also  much  used  by  those  tourists 
who  remain  for  a  considerable  time. 

The  mileage  of  the  completed  road  system  will  be 
about  as  follows  : 

Belt  line 163  miles. 

Approaches '. 105     " 

Side  roads...  22     " 


Total  mileage  of  Park  system,  exclusive  of  trails..  290     " 

In  regard  to  construction,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to 
say  that  nothing  but  the  best  macadamized  roads 
should  be  built.  The  inherent  difficulties  of  the  work 
are  great.  The  soil  in  many  places  is  of  the  most 
wretched  character.  The  country  is  exceedingly 
rough.  The  streams  are  almost  without  number. 
The  snow  lies  on  some  of  the  roads  until  the  mi'ddle 
of  June.  The  mud  in  the  wet  season  is  bad,  and  the 
dust  of  the  dry  season  is  worse.  The  soft  volcanic 
rocks,  which  so  generally  prevail,  make  poor  road 
metal.  But  all  these  difficulties  can  be  overcome,  if 
Congress  will  but  provide  for  a  systematic  completion 
of  the  project.  At  present,  the  annual  allowance  is 
too  small  to  promise  any  thing  like  good  work,  and  it 
will  be  many  years  before  the  hopes  of  the  govern- 
ment engineers  in  the  matter  will  be  realized.  t 

The  work  itself  is  as  attractive  as  ever  falls  to  the 
lot  of  the  road  engineer,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  another 
•opportunity  exists  to  develop  a  road  system  which,  if 
properly  done,  will  reflect  so  much  credit  upon  the 


ROADS,  HOTELS,  TRANSPORTATION         203 

government  building  it.  It  is  used  by  visitors  from 
all  lands.  It  passes  through  every  variety  of  scenery. 
It  presents  every  known  problem  of  road  engineering. 
In  short,  it  combines  all  the  elements  to  make  it, 
when  complete,  one  of  the  noted  highways  of  the 
world. 


Terry  Engr.  Co.  Gandy. 

KINGMAN  PASS.     (Showing  roadway  along  side  of  cliff.) 

It  is  not  impossible  that  the  tourist  may  yet  be  car- 
oied  by  boat  from  the  west  shore  of  the  Lake  to  near 
the  head  of  the  Falls,  nor  that  a  bridge  worthy  of  its 
surroundings — an  arch  of  the  native  rock  so  studied 
as  to  simulate  a  natural  bridge — will  span  the  river 
near  the  Upper  Falls  and  give  access  to  the  many 
splendid  views  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Grand 
Cafion. 

The  tourist  transportation  of  the  Park  is  done 
mostly  by  coach,  ordinarily  with  four  horses  each. 


204  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Surreys  and  saddle  horses  are  also  provided  when  de- 
sired. The  present  system  is  the  result  of  long  de- 
velopment, and  is  very  satisfactory.  With  proper 
roads,  it  would  be  all  that  could  be  desired. 

Electric  transportation  in  the  Park  has  often  been 
suggested,  but  there  are  certain  grave  objections,  to 
be  discussed  in  a  later  chapter,  which  will  probably 
always  prevent  its  introduction. 


Terry  Engr.  Co.  Jfayntf,  Phnto.,  St.  Paul. 

YELLOWSTONE  PARK  COACH. 

When  the  hotel  system  of  the  Park  is  complete, 
there  will  be  no  fewer  than  seven  good  houses  and 
three  lunch  stations  along  the  belt  line  and  approaches. 
The  hotels  will  be  at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  Norris 
Geyser  Basin,  Lower  Geyser  Basin,  Upper  Geyser 
Basin,  Yellowstone  Lake,  Grand  Canon,  and  Junction 
Valley.  The  present  management  of  the  hotels  has 
developed  into  a  very  efficient  system.  It  is  con- 
ducted by  a  single  company  whose  business  head- 


ROADS,  HOTELS,  TRANSPORTATION.         205 

quarters  is  at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  from  which 
point  all  supplies  are  shipped.  A  telegraph  line  con- 
nects it  with  points  in  the  interior  and  with  the  out- 
side world.  The  manager  of  each  hotel  knows  in 
advance  the  number  of  guests  he  must  provide  for, 
and  the  convenience  of  the  tourist  is  thus  carefully 
arranged  beforehand.  With  a  reasonable  extension 
and  development  of  the  present  system,  the  Park  will 
be  admirably  equipped  in  this  respect. 

Besides  the  regular  tourists — those  who  make  the 
usual  trip,  stopping  at  the  hotels — there  are  hundreds 
who  pass  through  the  Park  with  camping  outfits. 
During  the  months  of  July  and  August  and  early 
September,  this  is  by  no  means  an  undesirable  method. 
It  is  less  comfortable,  to  be  sure,  than  the  ordinary 
method,  but  at  the  same  time  it  is  less  expensive  and 
more  independent.  In  the  latter  part  of  August,  the 
Park  fairly  swarms  with  these  camping  parties.  They 
give  the  authorities  plenty  to  do,  for  the  danger  of 
forest  conflagrations  from  their  camp  fires  is  very 
great. 


200  THE    YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ADMINISTRATION    OP    THE    PARK. 

The  administration  of  the  Park  is  assigned  by  law 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  who  delegates  his  au- 
thority to  a  local  Superintendent.  By  statute,  also, 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  is  authorized  to  call 
upon  the  Secretary  of  War  for  such  details  of  troops 
as  may  be  necessary  to  protect  the  Park.  Owing  to 
the  failure  of  Congress  to  provide  for  a  civilian  Su- 
perintendent and  police  force,  since  1886,  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior  has  found  it  necessary  to  avail 
himself  of  this  second  statute,  so  that  the  present 
working  of  the  Park  administration  is  on  this  wise : 

An  army  officer,  commanding  the  troops  of  the 
Park,  is  the  representative  of  the  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior, and  is  called  the  Acting  Superintendent  of  the 
Park,  on  the  assumption  that  the  old  regime  of  civil- 
ian Superintendents  is  only  temporarily  suspended. 
The  Superintendent  is  charged  with  the  enforcement 
of  the  rules  and  regulations  provided  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Park.  As  to  all  such  matters,  he  receives 
his  instructions  direct  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Inte- 
rior, and  he  annually  submits  to  that  official  a  report 
upon  the  condition  of  the  Park.  For  a  police  force, 
he  has  two  troops  of  cavalry,  which  he  stations 
throughout  the  Park  as  necessity  requires.  He  has 
also  one  civilian  scout,  paid  for  from  the  appropria- 
tion for  the  army,  whose  duty  it  is  to  patrol  the  5,000' 


ADMINISTRATION    OF    THE    PARK.  207 

square  miles,  more  or  less,  in  the  original  reservation 
and  the  forest  reserve !  * 

The  specific  duties  which  form  the  burden  of  the 
Superintendent's  work  are : 

1.  To  see  that  all  leases  and  privileges  granted  by 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  private  parties  are 
strictly  observed,  and  that  all  business  conducted  in 
the  Park  is  in  pursuance  of  government  authority 
and  in  accordance  with  specific  conditions  and  limita- 
tions. 

2.  The   protection    of  the   Park   from   vandalism. 
This  is  a  very  important  matter.     The  pardonable  de- 
sire to  carry  off  specimens  from  the  beautiful  forma- 
tions, and  the  unpardonable  craze  to  cover  them  with 
individual   names,  would,  if  unrestrained,  soon  quite 
destroy  what  nature,  through  long  ages,  has  so  labori- 
ously produced. 

3.  The  protection  of  game.     All  around  the  Park 
are  hordes  of  law-breakers,  who  let  pass  no  oppor- 
tunity to  destroy  the  surviving  species.     To  avert  this 
calamity  requires  the  utmost  vigilance  of  the  Park 
police. 

4.  The  preservation  of  forests.     This  has  always 
been   the   most   onerous    and   trying    duty   of   Park 
officials.     The   importance   of  the   forests   is  so  far- 
reaching   that   their  destruction  would   be   a   public 
calamity.     No  exertion  can  be  considered  too  great 
which  may  prevent  it. 

5.  The  construction   of  roads   and  bridges  in  the 
Park. 


*  A  portion  of  the  latest  appropriation  for  the  Park  is  author- 
ized to  be  expended  in  the  employment  of  additional  scouts. 
This  policy  ought  to  be  continued. 


208  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK 

Other  functions  which  the  Superintendent  fills  are 
the  social  duties  of  his  position,  which  at  certain  sea- 
sons exact  much  of  his  attention.  Official  visitors  de- 
pend upon  him  entirely  for  pilotage  through  the  Park. 
Private  parties  bring  letters  soliciting  favors,  and  on 
the  whole  he  finds  his  time  well  occupied  with  these 
pleasant,  though  sometimes  onerous,  duties. 

The  office  building  of  the  Superintendent,  who  is 
also  commanding  officer  of  Fort  Yellowstone,  is  at 
Mammoth  Hot  Springs.  A  pretty  little  garrison  is 
built  upon  the  white  formation  opposite  the  hotel,  and 
in  winter,  the  whole  military  force,  except  small  de- 
tachments in  various  places,  is  gathered  at  that  point. 

At  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  are  also  located  the  post- 
office  and  jail,  and  at  this  point  the  judicial  officers 
of  the  Park  hold  court  to  try  offenses  against  the 
Park  statutes  and  regulations. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  209 


CHAPTER   XII. 

A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 

Preliminary. 

In  the  following  description  there  will  be  men- 
tioned in  succinct  outline  all  the  notable  features  of 
interest  in  the  Yellowstone  National  Park.  For  more 
detailed  information,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  list 
of  names  in  Appendix  "A." 

The  necessary  limit  of  space  forbids  any  thing  like 
extended  description,  even  if  the  inherent  difficulties 
of  such  a  task  would  permit.  Captain  Ludlow  has 
well  stated  the  nature  of  these  difficulties : 

"  The  Park  scenery,  as  a  whole,"  he  says,  "  is  too 
grand,  its  scope  too  immense,  its  details  too  varied 
and  minute,  to  admit  of  adequate  description,  save  by 
some  great  writer,  who,  with  mind  and  pen  equally 
trained,  can  seize  upon  the  salient  points,  and,  with 
just  discrimination,  throw  into  proper  relief  the  varied 
features  of  mingled  grandeur,  wonder,  and  beauty." 

Of  the  many  who  have  attempted,  with  pen  or  pen- 
oil,  to  reproduce  the  wonders  of  the  Yellowstone,  no 
one  has  yet  completely  satisfied  these  important  re- 
quirements. The  writer,  for  his  part,  will  modestly 
decline  any  such  undertaking,  and,  like  that  pioneer 
explorer,  Folsom,  will  confine  his  descriptions  "  to 
the  bare  facts."  He  will,  however,  occasionally  call  to 
aid  those  who  have  seen  and  written  of  these  won- 
ders. To  the  early  explorers,  in  particular,  who  en- 
tered this  region  before  it  became  generally  known, 


210  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

its  strange  phenomena  appealed  with  an  imaginative 
force  which  the  guide-book  tourist  of  to-day  cat* 
hardly  realize.  This  may  account  for  the  fact  that 
some  of  these  explorers,  who  have  never,  before  or 
since,  put  pen  to  paper  with  any  literary  purpose  in 
view,  have  left  in  their  narratives  strokes  of  word 
painting  which  the  most  gifted  writer  would  find  it 
difficult  to  excel. 

The  season  selected  for  the  tour  will  be  the  early 
days  of  July.  The  rain  and  snow  and  chilly  air,  not 
uncommon  in  June,  are  gone.  The  drought  and 
smoke  of  August  and  September  are  still  remote. 
Even  mosquitoes,  so  amazingly  plentiful  at  certain 
seasons  (Langford  found  them  on  the  very  summit  of 
the  Grand  Teton),  have  not  yet  made  their  appear- 
ance. It  is  late  enough,  however,  to  call  forth  in  their 
richest  glory  the  magnificent  profusion  of  flowers 
which  every- where  abound  in  the  Park.  The  air  is  at 
its  best,  full  of  life  and  energy,  and  so  clear  that  it  con- 
founds distances  and  gives  to  objects,  though  far  away, 
a  distinctness  quite  unknown  in  lower  altitudes.  The 
skies,  as  they  appear  at  this  season,  surpass  the  sunny 
skies  of  Italy,  and  the  tourist  will  find  in  their  em- 
pyreal depths  a  beauty  and  fascination  forever  lack- 
ing in  the  dingy  air  of  civilization.  In  short,  the 
open  air  stage  trips  through  that  rich  mountain  at- 
mosphere will  form  one  of  the  most  attractive  and 
invigorating  features  of  the  tour. 

Without  further  preliminary,  the  r6le  of  guide  will 
now  be  assumed,  and  the  tourist  will  be  conducted 
through  the  wonders  of  this  celebrated  country,  fol- 
lowing, over  most  of  the  distance,  the  present  general 
route. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 


211 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARKi 

North  Boundary  to  Mammoth  Hot  Springs. 

Distance  five  miles.  The  road  for  most  of  the  way 
lies  in  the  valley  of  the  Gardiner.  The  principal 
points  of  interest  en  route  are : 

The  Junction  of  the  Yellowstone  and  Gardiner  Ewers 
which  determines  the  north  boundary  of  the  Park.  It 
lies  in  the  State  of  Montana,  the  state  line  being  two 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


GARDINER  RIVER. 


Gandy. 


miles  further  south.     The  old  prospector's  route  bore 
oft' at  this  point  and  kept  up  the  valley  of  the  Yellow- 


212  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

stone.  Folsom  took  this  route  in  1869  ;  so  did  the 
Wasburn  party  in  1870.  Hayden  and  Barlow  in  1871 
kept  along  the  Gardiner  and  thus  saw  the  Mammoth 
Hot  Springs. 

The  Gardiner  Canon  is  a  precipitous  valley  of  loose 
gray  walls  suggestive  of  danger  from  falling  rocks. 
The  nests  of  fish-hawks  here  and  there  crown  de- 
tached pinnacles.  The  most  striking  feature  of  the 
canon  is  the  river,  a  typical  mountain  torrent  of  such 
rapid  fall  over  its  rocky  bed  that  it  is  a  continuous 
succession  of  foaming  cascades. 

Some  four  miles  up  the  river,  at  the  point  where  the 
road  leaves  it,  the  tourist  gets  his  first  sight  of  any 
indication  of  subterranean  heat.  This  is  a  large 
stream  of  hot  water,  in  early  times  called  the  Boiling 
River,  issuing  from  an  opening  in  the  rocks  and 
emptying  directly  into  the  river.  It  is  formed  of  the 
collected  waters  of  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  which  find 
their  way  to  this  point  through  underground  passages. 
It  was  here  that  "numbers  of  invalids"  were  en- 
camped when  Hayden  and  Barlow  saw  the  spot  in 
1871. 

From  the  last  crossing  of  the  Gardiner  a  winding 
road,  which  rises  600  feet  in  its  length  of  one  mile, 
brings  the  tourist  to  the  world-renowned  Mammoth 
Hot  Springs,  and  to  the  administrative  and  business 
headquarters  of  the  Park. 

First  in  importance,  among  the  many  points  of  in- 
terest accessible  from  this  locality,  are  the  Hot  Springs 
Terraces.  These  have  been  built  one  upon  another 
until  the  present  active  portion  constitutes  a  hill  rising 
300  feet  above  the  site  of  the  Mammoth  Hot  Springs 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  213 

Hotel.  The  formation  about  these  springs,  it  will  be 
remembered,  is  calcareous,  and  to  this  fact  is  due  its 
distinctive  character,  so  different  from  the  silica  for- 
mations which  prevail  nearly  every-where  else  in  the 
Park.  The  overhanging  bowls  which  these  deposits 
build  up  are  among  the  finest  specimens  of  Nature's 
work  in  the  world,  while  the  water  which  fills  them 
is  of  that  peculiar  beauty  to  be  found  only  in  thermal 
springs.  Speaking  of  this  feature  Dr.  Hayden  says : 
"  The  wonderful  transparency  of  the  water  sur- 
passes any  thing  of  the  kind  I  have  ever  seen  in  any 


U.  S.  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories. 

PULPIT  TERRACE. 

other  portion  of  the  world.  The  sky,  with  the 
smallest  cloud  that  flits  across  it,  is  reflected  in  its 
clear  depths,  and  the  ultramarine  colors,  more  vivid 
than  the  sea,  are  greatly  heightened  by  constant, 
gentle  vibrations.  One  can  look  down  into  the  clear 
depths  and  see,  with  perfect  distinctness,  the  minutest 


214       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

ornament  on  the  inner  sides  of  the  basins;  and  the 
exquisite  beauty  of  the  coloring  and  the  variety  of 
forms  baffle  any  attempt  to  portray  them  either  with 
pen  or  pencil."* 

Cleopatra  Spring,  Jupiter  Terrace,  Pulpit  Terrace, 
Minerva  Terrace,  the  Narrow  Gauge  Terrace — an  in- 
congruous name  for  a  long  fissure  spring — the  White 
Elephant,  another  fissure  spring,  and  the  Orange 
Geyser,  a  very  pretty  formation,  dome-shaped,  with  a 
pulsating  spring  in  the  top,  are  among  the  most  in- 
teresting of  the  active  springs. 

Liberty  Cap  is  the  cone  of  an  extinct  spring  and 
stands  forty-five  feet  high  and  twenty  feet  through 
at  the  base. 

Bath  Lake  is  a  warm  pool  of  considerable  size, 
much  used  in  bathing. 

Scattered  over  the  formation  in  every  direction  are 
caves,  springs,  steam-vents,  handsome  deposits,  and 
curiosities  without  number  to  attract  and  detain  the 
visitor.  Many  of  them,  like  Cupid's  Cave,  the  Devil's 
Kitchen,  and  McCartney's  Cave,  are  of  much  interest. 
In  the  last-mentioned  cave,  or,  more  properly,  crater, 
an  elk  fell  one  winter  when  the  crater  was  level  full 
with  light  snow.  His  antlers  caught  between  the 
sides  of  the  crater,  holding  him  in  a  suspended  posi- 
tion until  he  perished.  He  was  found  the  following 
spring  by  Mr.  McCartney. 

Besides  the  hot  springs  features,  there  are  other 
important  objects  of  interest  in  this  neighborhood. 

Lookout  Hill  is  a  prominent  rounded  elevation  op- 
posite the  hotel.  Upon  its  summit  is  a  block-house, 


Page  69  Hayden's  Report  for  1871.     See  Appendix  E. 


Terra  Kn:ir.  <'<>.  lloum'*,  I'lu.tn.,  .S 

GOLDEN  GATE. 


Term  Knar,  f'n.  Initi'i-.inll. 

OSPREY  FALLS. 


A    TOUR   OF   THE    PARK.  215 

"built  by  Colonel  Morris,  in  1879,  as  a  headquarters 
building  for  the  Superintendent.  The  awkward  and 
inconvenient  location  was  selected  for  its  defensible 
qualities.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  two  pre- 
vious years,  1877  and  1878,  had  witnessed  the  Nez 
Perce  and  Bannock  incursions  into  the  Park. 

The  Falls  and  Canon  of  the  Middle  Gardiner,  distant 
four  miles  from  the  hotel,  are  the  finest  scenery  of  the 
kind  in  the  Park,  excepting  only  the  Grand  Caflon 
of  the  Yellowstone. 

Bunsen  Peak  is  a  conspicuous  summit  located  be- 
tween the  Middle  and  West  Forks  of  the  Gardiner. 
Its  western  face  terminates  in  Cathedral  Rock,  a  bold 
cliff  that  overhangs  the  valley  of  Glen  Creek. 

Golden  Gate,  and  Kinyman  Pass  are  names  applied 
to  the  picturesque  canon  of  Glen  Creek.  It  is  justly 
considered  one  of  the  gems  of  the  Park  scenery.  The 
skillful  engineering  feat  of  carrying  the  tourist  route 
through  this  difficult  canon  was  performed  by  Lieu- 
tenant D.  C.  Kingman,  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers, 
U.  S.  A.,  in  1884-5.  Rustic  Falls  is  a  handsome  cata- 
ract near  the  head  of  the  pass.  The  best  view  in  this 
vicinity  is  to  be  had  from  above  the  pass,  looking 
through  it  toward  Mt.  Everts. 

Besides  Bunsen  Peak,  the  tourist  will  find  Terrace 
Mountain,  Sepulcher  Mountain,  and  Electric  Peak  ever 
ready  to  satisfy  whatever  ambition  for  mountain 
climbing  he  ma}7  possess. 

The  East  Gardiner  Canon  affords  some  fine  views, 
and  the  falls  and  rapids  at  its  head  are  extremely 
beautiful.  It  is  through  this  canon  that  access  can 
most  easilv  be  had  to  the  summit  of  Mt.  Everts.  This 
last  name  is  given  to  a  feature  which  bears  almost  no 


216  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

resemblance  to  the  ordinary  conception  of  a  moun- 
tain. It  is  simply  a  broad  table-land  extending  from 
the  Yellowstone  south  and  terminating  in  the  lofty 
and  conspicuous  bluff  just  across  the  Gardiner  from 
Mammoth  Hot  Springs.  The  mountain  derives  its 
chief  popular  interest  from  the  Everts  episode,  which 
is  described  in  the  Appendix  under  "  Mt.  Everts."  It 
is  also  of  great  interest  to  scientific  inquirers.  The 
view  from  the  prominent  point  opposite  the  forks  of 
the  Gardiner  is  very  fine.  The  whole  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs  formation  and  the  group  of  buildings  near 
it ;  the  canons  and  falls  of  the  three  Gardiners ;  and 
the  array  of  mountain  peaks  across  the  valley,  form  a 
rare  and  attractive  landscape. 

Mt.  Everts  and  the  surrounding  country  are  the 
home  of  the  Park  antelope  and  mountain  sheep. 

As  explained  elsewhere,  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  is 
the  official  and  business  headquarters  of  the  Park. 
The  handsome  garrison  of  Fort  Yellowstone  is  built 
on  the  white  formation,  and  with  the  hotel  and  trans- 
portation buildings,  the  post-oflice,  and  various  other 
structures,  gives  the  place  a  village  appearance  not  to 
be  seen  in  any  other  part  of  the  Park. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  217 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 

Mammoth  Hot  Springs  to  Norris  Geyser  Basin. 

Distance,  twenty  miles.  The  first  object  of  interest, 
after  ascending  the  long  hill  above  the  Springs  (four 
miles),  is  the  Gallatin  Range  of  mountains,  which 
bursts  into  full  view  upon  emerging  from  Kingman 
Pass.  Its  various  peaks — Joseph,  Gray,  Bannock, 
Quadrant,  the  Dome,  Mt.  Holmes,  and  others — still  re- 
tain the  heavy  snow  drifts  of  the  previous  winter. 
Some  of  these  peaks  remain  in  sight  for  thirty  miles 
along  the  tourist  route. 

Swan  Lake  (4.5  miles)  is  a  little  pond  on  the  right 
of  the  road. 

Willow  Park  (8  miles)  comprises  the  valley  of  the 
lower  course  of  Obsidian  Creek.  It  is  a  dense  growth 
of  willows,  and  forms  an  attractive  sight,  either  in 
the  fresh  foliage  of  spring  or  in  its  autumnal  coloring. 

Apollinaris  Spring  (10  miles)  is  on  the  left  of  the 
roadway,  in  a  pine  forest.  Tourists  generally  stop 
and  try  its  water. 

Obsidian  Cliff  (12  miles)  is  composed  of  a  kind  of 
volcanic  glass,  black  as  anthracite,  which  abounds  at 
this  point  in  enormous  masses.  The  Indians  once 
quarried  implements  of  war  and  the  chase  here,  and 
many  fine  arrowheads  have  been  picked  up  by  ex- 
plorers. The  building  of  the  first  road  along  the 
base  of  this  cliff  has  some  historic  celebrity,  owing  to 


218  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

the  novel  method  employed.     It  was  done  by  Colonel 
Norris,  who  thus  describes  it: 

"  Obsidian  there  rises  like  basalt  in  vertical  columns 
many  hundreds  of  feet  high,  and  countless  huge 
masses  ha.d  fallen  from  this  utterly  impassable  moun- 
tain into  the  hissing  hot  spring  margin  of  an  equally 
impassable  lake,  without  either  Indian  or  game  trail 
over  the  glistering  fragments  of  Nature's  glass,  sure 


Terry  Engr.  Co.  Haync.s,  Photo.,  St.  Paul. 

OBSIDIAN  CLIFF  AND  BEAVER  LA  KB. 

to  severely  lacerate.  As  this  glass  barricadse  sloped 
from  some  200  or  300  feet  high  against  the  cliff'  at  an 
angle  of  some  45°  to  the  lake,  we — with  the  slivered 
fragments  of  timber  thrown  from  the  heights — with 
huge  fires,  heated  and  expanded,  and  then  men,  well 
screened  by  blankets  held  by  others,  by  dashing  cold 
water,  suddenly  cooled  and  fractured  the  large  masses. 
Then,  with  huge  levers,  steel  bars,  sledge,  pick,  and 
shovels,  and  severe  laceration  of  at  least  the  hands 
and  faces  of  every  member  of  the  party,  we  rolled, 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  219 

slid,  crushed,  and  shoveled  one-fourth  of  a  mile  of 
good  wagon  road  midway  along  the  slope ;  it  being, 
so  far  as  I  am  aware,  the  only  road  of  native  glass 
upon  the  continent."* 

Beaver  Lake  has  its  outlet  opposite  the  base  of  Ob- 
sidian Cliff'.  It  is  formed  by  ancient  beaver  dams, 
now  entirely  overgrown  with  vegetation.  The  old 
dam  extends  in  a  sinuous  line  entirely  across  the  val- 
ley, and,  although  apparently  less  than  a  yard  thick, 
is  quite  impervious  to  water.  The  lake  is  a  great  re- 
sort for  water  fowl  later  in  the  year. 

Roaring  Mountain  (15.5  miles)  is  a  high  hill  on  the 
left  of  the  road,  with  a  powerful  steam  vent  near  the 
summit.  Nothing  which  can  now  be  heard  from  the 
road  would  suggest  the  name. 

Twin  Lakes  (16  miles)  are  two  exquisitely  beautiful 
ponds,  if  only  seen  in  a  good  sunlight  and  with  a 
tranquil  surface.  The  peculiar  green  of  the  water  is 
perhaps  to  be  seen  nowhere  except  in  the  National 
Park.  A  most  singular  feature  of  these  two  lakes  is 
that,  although  so  close  together,  they  never  simulta- 
neously exhibit  the  same  colors. 

The  Frying  Pan  (17.75  miles)  is  a  small  basin  of 
geyserite,  on  the  right  of  the  road,  vigorously  stewing 
away  in  a  manner  which  reminds  one  of  a  kitchen 
spider  in  operation. 

After  passing  Obsidian  Clift'  evidences  of  hot  spring 
action  constantly  increase,  until  they  reach  their  climax 


*  Annual  Report  Superintendent  of  the  Park,  1878. 

The  reader  may  now  be  inclined  to  take  issue  with  our  judg- 
ment of  Norris'  practical  turn  for  road  building.  He  will  at  least 
readily  indorse  our  opinion  of  the  old  mountaineer's  literary 
ability.  (See  "  Norris  Peak,"  Appendix  A.) 


220  THE    YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

in  the  Norris  Geyser  Basin.  There  are  but  few  other 
places  in  the  Park  where  the  odor  of  sulphur  is  so  gen- 
eral and  offensive  as  on  this  portion  of  the  tourist  route. 

Morris  Geyser  Basin  is  clearly  among  the  more  re- 
cent volcanic  developments  of  this  region.  Its  rapid 
encroachment  upon  the  forest  growth,  and  the  frequent 
appearance  of  new  springs  and  the  disappearance  of 
others,  indicate  its  relatively  recent  origin.  Compared 
with  the  Firehole  Geyser  Basin  it  is  of  minor  import- 
ance; but  coming  first  to  the  notice  of  the  tourist  it 
receives  a  large  amount  of  attention.  It  has  only  one 
prominent  geyser,  the  Monarch,  which  throws  a  col- 
umn about  100  feet  high.  The  Constant  is  visible 
from  the  roadway  in  the  bottom  of  a  large  tract  of 
geyserite  which  is  unsafe  for  pedestrians.  It  makes 
up  in  frequency  of  action  what  it  lacks  in  power.  The 
most  noteworthy  feature  of  the  basin  has  received  the 
appropriate  name  Hurricane.  It  is  a  prodigious  steam 
vent  whose  violent  gusts  bear  a  striking  resemblance 
to  the  driving  blasts  of  a  tempest.  It  also  discharges 
a  large  amount  of  water.  The  Black  Growler,  close 
by  the  road  side,  is  a  similar  phenomenon. 

Among  the  less  important  features  of  this  basin 
may  be  mentioned  the  Congress,  Constant,  Arsenic, 
Echinus,  Fearless,  Pearl,  Vixen,  Minute  Man,  and  Mew 
Crater,  all  geysers ;  the  Emerald  Pool,  a  quiescent 
spring;  and  the  Locomotive  and  Mud  Geyser,  boiling 
springs. 

From  the  Norris  Hotel  a  drive  of  three  miles  up 
the  Gibbon  River,  on  the  cross  road  leading  to  the 
Grand  Canon,  carries  the  tourist  to  Virginia  Cascade, 
a  unique  and  picturesque  waterfall  in  a  rocky  canon 
of  considerable  beauty. 


BLACK  GROWLER 


.  4'aul. 


A   TOUR   OF   THE    PARK.  221 


CHAPTER   XV. 

A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 

Norris  Geyser  Basin  to  Lower  Geyser  Basin. 

Distance,  20  miles.  The  road  follows  the  Gibbon 
River  to  within  three  miles  of  its  mouth,  then  crosses 
a  point  of  land  to  the  Firehole,  and  ascends  the  right 
bank  of  the  latter  stream  to  the  Lower  Rasin. 

Gibbon  Meadows  (3  miles)  is  a  broad  open  bottom, 
sometimes  called  Elk  Park,  just  at  the  head  of  Gib- 
bon Canon. 

The  Gibbon  Paint  Pots  (4  miles)  are  on  the  left  of 
the  road,  near  the  head  of  the  canon,  and  one-fourth 
of  a  mile  away. 

Monument  Geyser  Basin  (4.5  miles)  is  on  the  high 
hill  just  west  of  the  upper  end  of  Gibbon  Canon.  It 
is  an  interesting  spot,  but  rarely  visited  owing  to  its 
inaccessibility.  It  was  discovered  and  named  by  Col. 
Morris. 

The  Gibbon  Canon  (4.5  to  10.5  miles)  affords  the  tour- 
ist one  of  the  pleasantest  rides  in  the  Park.  The 
mountains  rise  boldly  from  the  river  on  either  side, 
and  present  several  particularly  fine  views.  The  road 
lies  close  to  the  river's  edge,  and  the  stream  is  an  im- 
portant adjunct  to  the  scenery. 

Beryl  Spring  (5  miles)  is  close  to  the  road  on  the 
side  opposite  the  river.  It  boils  violently  and  dis- 
charges a  large  amount  of  water.  The  steam  from  it 
frequently  obscures  the  roadway. 

The  Soda  and  Iron  Spring  (7.5  miles),  like  Apolli- 


222  THE    YELLOWSTON'E    NATIONAL    PARK. 

naris  Spring  already  mentioned,  is  a  frequent  stop- 
ping-place for  tourists. 

Gibbon  Falls  (8  miles)  is  a  water-fall  of  very 
irregular  outline,  but  withal  one  of  much  beauty. 
The  road  hangs  on  the  side  of  the  cliff  far  above  it, 
and  affords  a  lovely  view  of  the  forest-covered  valley 
below. 

About  half  way  between  the  point  where  the  road 
leaves  the  Gibbon  River  and  that  where  it  touches  the 
Firehole,  is  the  junction  of  the  belt  line  with  the 
western  approach  which  enters  the  Park  by  way  of 
Madison  Cation.  A  beautiful  cascade,  some  distance 
from  the  tourist  route,  may  be  found  on  the  Firehole 
River  about  a  mile  above  its  mouth.  Just  as  the 
road  (the  old  Norris  Road)  commences  to  descend 
from  the  high  plateau  between  the  Gibbon  and  the 
Firehole,  a  glimpse  is  had  of  the  Teton  Mountains. 
They  are  among  the  most  striking  in  the  entire 
Rocky  Mountain  Region.  For  half  a  century  after 
the  overland  journey  of  the  Astoriaris,  they  were  the 
chief  landmarks  in  that  trackless  wilderness,  and 
long  bore  the  name  of  Pilot  Knobs.  They  are  dis- 
tinctly visible  from  every  important  peak  in  the  Park, 
although  they  are  themselves  outside  its  limits.  As 
seen  from  the  point,  at  which  we  have  arrived, 
they  are  fifty  miles  away.  They  rise  precipitously 
from  the  west  shore  of  Jackson  Lake  (also  outside  of 
the  Park)  and  with  it  form  a  scene  of  grandeur  which 
ought  to  be  included  in  the  reservation.  In  1872, 
Langford  and  Stevenson  ascended  the  Grand  Teton, 
being  the  first  white  men  ever  to  reach  the  summit.* 

*  Some  doubt  has  been  expressed  in  recent  years  as  to   the 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  228 

They  were  astonished  to  find,  on  a  point  but  little 
lower  than  the  main  summit,  a  rude  shelter  of  granite 
slabs  evidently  put  in  place  by  human  hands  ages 
ago. 

Nez  Perce  Creek  (18  miles)  is  the  largest  branch  of 
the  Firehole,  and  is  of  historic  interest  from  its  con- 
nection with  the  Indian  campaign  of  1877.  It  forms 
the  north  boundary  of  the  Lower  Geyser  Basin.  Two 
miles  beyond  it  is  the  Fountain  Hotel. 

To  attempt  any  thing  like  a  detailed  description  of 
the  Firehole  Geyser  regions  would  be  intolerable  alike 
to  reader  and  author.  Of  the  objects  of  interest, 
any  one  of  which  in  other  localities  would  attract 
marked  attention,  there  are  several  thousand.  In  the 
preaent  description,  therefore,  only  the  more  import- 
ant features  will  be  noticed — those  notable  objects  to- 
see  which  is  an  indispensable  part  of  any  well  ordered 
tour  of  the  Park. 

The  Fountain  Geyser  is  a  typical  example  of  the 
first  class  of  geysers  described  in  a  previous  chapter. 

actual  accomplishment  of  this  feat.  It  probably  arose  from  an 
erroneous  statement  by  Doctor  Hayden  in  his  report  for  1872 
that  the  granite  inclosure  was  found  "  on  the  top  of  the  Grand 
Teton."  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  was  found  on  a  point  somewhat 
lower,  and  is  clearly  so  stated  by  Mr.  Langford  both  in  an  official 
report  to  Dr.  Hayden  (Hayden,  1872,  p.  89)  and  in  his  ''Ascent  of 
Mt.  Hayden"  (Scribner's,  June,  1873,  p.  1-45).  A  subsequent  ex- 
plorer, who  ascended  the  mountain  to  the  site  of  this  principal 
object  of  interest,  came  to  the  conclusion,  doubtless  as  a  result  of 
the  erroneous  account  given  by  Hayden,  that  this  was  what  Lang- 
ford  and  Stevenson  called  the  summit.  But  the  references  above 
given,  and  a  more  detailed  and  circumstantial  account  furnished 
by  Mr.  Langford  at  the  writer's  request,  effectually  demolish, 
this  theory. 


224  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

Its  proximity  to  the  hotel  (one-fourth  mile)  causes  it 
to  be  much  visited. 

The  Mammoth  Paint  Pots,  a  little  way  east  of  the 
Fountain,  are  probably  the  most  prominent  example 
of  this  class  of  phenomena  in  the  Park. 

The  Great  Fountain  Geyser  lies  a  mile  and  a  half 
south-east  of  the  Fountain.  It  is  the  chief  wonder 
of  the  Lower  Basin,  and,  in  some  respects,  the  most 
remarkable  geyser  in  the  Park.  Its  formation  is 
quite  unlike  that  of  any  other.  At  first  sight  the 
visitor  is  tempted  to  believe  that  some  one  has  here 
placed  a  vast  pedestal  upon  which  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment. It  is  a  broad,  circular  table  about  two  feet 
high,  composed  entirely  of  hard  silicious  deposit.  In 
its  surface  are  numerous  pools  molded  and  orna- 
mented in  a  manner  quite  unapproached,  at  least  on 
so  large  a  scale,  in  any  other  part  of  the  Park.  In 
the  center  of  the  pedestal, where  the  monument  ought 
to  stand,  is  a  large  irregular  pool  of  great  depth,  full 
of  hot  water,  forming,  to  all  appearances,  a  lovely 
quiescent  spring.  At  times  of  eruption,  the  contents 
of  this  spring  are  hurled  bodily  upward  to  a  height 
sometimes  reaching  100  feet.  The  torrent  of  water 
which  follows  the  prodigious  down-pouring  upon  the 
face  of  the  pedestal,  flows  away  in  all  directions  over 
the  white  geyserite  plain.  No  visitor  to  the  Yel- 
lowstone can  afford  to  miss  the  Great  Fountain 
Geyser. 

In  this  vicinity  are  several  of  the  handsomest 
springs  in  the  Park.  One  in  particular  lies  just  across 
the  hot  stream  which  flows  a  little  to  the  south  of  the 
Great  Fountain.  It  is  shaped  like  an  egg  set  endwise 


A    TOUR   OF   THE    PARK.  225 

in  the  ground  with  the  upper  part  of  the  shell  broken 
off.  It  is  an  exquisite  trifle. 

In  a  small  valley,  extending  to  the  north-east  from 
the  Great  Fountain,  are  several  objects  worthy  of 
notice.  One  of  these  is  an  immense  hot  lake,  by  far 
the  largest  in  the  Park.  Steady  Geyser  and  Young 
Hopeful,  near  the  head  of  the  valley,  are  not  remark- 
able in  this  land  of  geysers. 

The  principal  attraction  of  the  locality  is  what  has 
come  to  be  called  the  Firehole.  It  is  at  the  extreme 
upper  end  of  the  valley,  difficult  to  find,  and  unsatis- 
factory to  visit  when  the  wind  agitates  the  water  sur- 
face. It  is  a  large  hot  spring  from  the  bottom  of 
which,  to  all  appearances,  a  light  colored  flame  is  con- 
stantly issuing,  only  to  be  extinguished  in  the  water 
before  it  reaches  the  surface.  At  times  it  has  a  dis- 
tinct ruddy  tinge  and  it  always  flickers  back  and  forth 
like  the  lambent  flame  of  a  torch.  "When  seen  under 
favorable  conditions,  the  illusion  is  perfect,  and  the 
beholder  is  sure  that  he  has  at  last  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  hidden  fires  which  produce  the  weird  phe- 
nomena of  this  region.  But  it  is  only  illusion. 
Through  a  fissure  in  the  rock  gas  or  superheated 
steam  escapes  and  divides  the  water,  just  as  bubbles 
do  on  a  smaller  scale.  The  reflection  from  the  surface 
thus  formed  accounts  for  the  appearance,  which  is  in- 
tensified by  the  black  background  formed  by  the  sides 
and  bottom  of  the  pool. 

The  Lower  Geyser  Basin  has  an  area  of  thirty 
square  miles.  Conspicuous  among  its  topographical 
features  are  the  Twin  Suites,  two  prominent  peaks 
west  of  the  river  which  dominate  the  entire  basin.  A 


226 


THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


little  way  south  of  these  is  Fairy  Fall,  a  pretty  cas- 
cade 250  feet  high. 

There  will  be  included  in  this  chapter,  as  more 
properly  belonging  to  it  than  to  the  next,  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  Midway  Geyser  Basin.  Its  principal  in- 
terest lies  in  the  stupendous  character  of  its  phe- 
nomena. 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


EXCELSIOR  GEYSER. 


Haynes,  Photo.,  St.  Paul. 


Ill 


Excelsior  Geyser,  as  a  dynamic  agent,  has  no  equal 
the  Park.  It  is  really  a  water  volcano,  and  its 
eruptions  have  nothing  of  the  characteristic  display 
of  a  genuine  geyser.  Its  crater  is  a  vast  seething 
cauldron  close  by  the  brink  of  the  Firehole  River, 
into  which,  in  non-eruptive  periods  even,  it  pours 
4,000  gallons  of  water  per  minute.  The  shape  of  the 
crater  is  irregular.  Its  dimensions  are  about  330  by 
200  feet,  and  20  feet  deep.  It  was  not  known  to  be  a 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  227 

geyser  until  1878,  and  did  not  really  disclose  its  true 
character  until  the  winter  of  1881.  During  the  re-, 
mainder  of  that  year  and  1882,  it  gave  continuous 
exhibitions  of  its  power.  Its  water  column  was  more 
than  50  feet  in  diameter,  and  at  times  rose  to  the 
enormous  height  of  250  feet.  At  such  times,  it 
doubled  the  volume  of  water  in  the  Firehole  River. 
Its  eruptions  were  frequently  accompanied  by  the 
ejection  of  large  rocks.  A'  second  period  of  activity 
took  place  in  1888,  since  which  time  it  has  remained 
inactive. 

Prismatic  Lake  is  the  most  perfect  spring  of  its  kind 
in  the  world.  It  rests  on  the  summit  of  a  self-built 
mound,  sloping  very  gently  in  all  directions.  Down 
this  slope  the  overflow  from  the  spring  descends  in 
tiny  rivulets,  every-where  interlaced  with  each  other. 
A  map  of  the  mound  resembles  a  spider  web,  with 
the  spider  (the  spring)  in  the  center.  The  pool  is  250 
by  300  feet  in  size.  Over  the  lake  hangs  an  ever- 
present  cloud  of  steam,  which  itself  often  bears  a 
crimson  tinge,  reflected  from  the  waters  below.  The 
steam  unfortunately  obscures  the  surface  of  the  lake, 
and  one  involuntarily  wishes  for  a  row-boat,  in  which 
to  explore  its  unseen  portions.  Wherever  visible, 
there  is  a  varied  and  wonderful  play  of  colors,  which 
fully  justifies  the  name. 

Turquoise  Spring  is  another  large  pool,  100  feet  in 
diameter,  and  rivals  Prismatic  Lake  in  the  beauty  of 
its  coloring. 

The  Midway  Geyser  Basin  contains  hundreds  of 
other  springs,  some  of  them  very  beautiful,  but  the 
Basin  is  mainly  noted  for  the  three  features  just  de- 
scribed. 


228  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 

Lower  Geyser  Basin  to  Upper  Geyser  Basin. 

Distance,  nine  miles.  Road  follows  the  Firehole 
River.  Midway  Geyser  Basin,  already  described,  is 
passed  four  miles  out.  No  other  object  of  interest  is 
met  until  the  visitor  actually  arrives  at  the  Upper 
Basin. 

This  locality  is  probably  the  most  popular  with  the 
tourist  of  any  in  the  Park.  Its  two  rivals,  the  Grand 
Canon  and  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  are  so  unlike  it  as- 
not  to  admit  of  any  comparison.  It  is  the  home  of 
the  genus  yeyser,  as  seen  in  its  highest  development. 
There  are  fifteen  examples  of  the  first  magnitude 
and  scores  of  less  important  ones.*  The  quiescent 
pools  and  springs  are  also  numerous  and  of  great 
beauty^ 

The  first  important  feature  en  route  is  the  Biscuit 
Basin,  which  is  reached  by  a  side  road  leading  to  the 
west  bank  of  the  Firehole  River.  It  contains  a  fine 
geyser  and  several  beautiful  springs.  The  most  in- 
teresting are  the  Jewell  Geyser  and  the  Sapphire  Pool. 
Near  this  locality  is  the  Mystic  Falls,  a  fine  cascade, 
on  the  Little  Firehole  River. 

Artemesia  Geyser  comes  next  to  the  attention  of  the 
tourist.  It  has  been  known  as  a  geyser  only  since  1886. 


*  For  list  of  names  of  geysers,  with  heights  of  eruptions,  see 
Appendix  A,  VII. 


SKETCH    MAP 
OF    THE 

UPPER  GEYSER  BASIN 


HITE      PYRAMID         , 


PUNCH     BOWL 


SLACK     SAND    BASIN 


SLIFF    GEYSER 


CRAT€R      CEYSERf 


OLD    FAITHFUL 


Upp.  page  2%8. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 


229 


It  is  on  the  right  of  the  roadway,  at  a  considerably 
lower  level. 

The  Morning  Glory  is  a  little  further  up  stream.  In 
this  beautiful  object  the  quiescent  pool  is  at  its  best. 
Its  exquisite  bordering  and  the  deep  cerulean  hue  of 
its  transparent  waters  make  it,  and  others  like  it,  ob- 
jects of  ceaseless  admiration. 

The  Fan  Geyser  is  close  by  the  Firehole  on  the  east 
bank,  not  far  above  the  Morning  Glory.  The  River- 
side is  also  on  the  east  bank  at  the  point  where  the 
road  crosses  the  river.  It  is  an  inconspicuous  object 
when  not  in  eruption,  and  one  would  scarcely  suspect 
it  of  being  a  geyser.  It  spouts  obliquely  across  the 
river,  and  not,  like  most  geysers,  vertically. 


GROTTO  GEYSER  CONE. 


Gandy. 


Next  in  order,  after  crossing  the  river  to  the  West- 
bank,  is  the  Grotto,  remarkable  for  its  irregular  and 
cavernous  crater.  A  little  further  on,  close  to  the 


230  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

river,  stands  the  broken  crater  of  one  of  the  Park's 
greatest  geysers,  the  Giant.  Lieutenant  Doane  com- 
pared its  crater  to  a  "  huge  shattered  horn." 

A  few  hundred  feet  further  up  stream,  still  close 
to  the  river,  is  the  Oblong.  Directly  across  the  roadr 
but  a  short'  distance  away,  is  the  Splendid,  well  worthy 
of  its  name;  and  near  it,  sometimes  playing  simul- 
taneously, is  the  Comet. 

To  the  westward  from  the  Firehole,  nearly  on  the  di- 
vide between  it  and  Iron  Creek,  is  a  lovely  spring,  called 
the  Punch-bowl.  Across  the  divide  in  the  Iron  Creek 
valley  is  the  Black  Sand  Basin,  a  unique  but  beautiful 
pool.  Near  it  is  another  attraction,  Specimen  Lake, 
so  named  from  an  abundance  of  specimens  of  partly 
petrified  wood.  The  limit  of  curiosities  in  this  direc- 
tion is  Emerald  Pool,  which  competent  judges  pro- 
nounce to  be  the  finest  quiescent  spring  in  the  Park. 

Returning  to  the  Firehole  by  a  different  route,  we 
pass  a  large  spring  or  geyser  known  as  the  Three 
Crater  Spring.  Its  three  craters  are  connected  by 
narrow  water  ways,  making  one  continuous  pool, 
though  fed  from  three  sources. 

A  thousand  feet  to  the  north,  stands  the  most  im- 
posing crater  in  the  Park,  that  of  the  Castle  geyser. 
It  is  frequently  seen  in  moderate  eruption,  but  rarely 
when  doing  its  best.  As  ordinarily  seen,  it  throws 
a  column  of  water  only  50  or  60  feet,  but  at  times  it 
plays  as  high  as  150  or  200  feet. 

Crossing  the  river  to  its  right  bank,  nearly  opposite 
the  Castle,  there  are  found  within  a  narrow  compass 
three  noted  geysers,  the  Sawmill,  Turban,  and  Grand. 
Of  these,  the  last  is  by  far  the  finest,  and  ranks  among 
the  very  greatest  geysers  in  the  world.  It  was  not 


CASTLE  GEYSER. 


,'.ii'  -    -; 

rtaynes,  ftwto.,  Ait.  1'aul. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  231 

seen  by  the  Washburn  Party,  in  1870,  but  it  seems  to 
have  been  the  first  geyser  to  welcome  to  the  Upper 
Basin  the  Hayden  and  Barlow  parties  in  1871.  Cap- 
tain Barlow  says  of  its  eruption :  * 


. 


Terry  Engr.  Co.  First  sketch  ever  made,  -f 

CASTLE  GEYSER  CONE. 


"This  grand  fountain  continued  to  play  for  several 
minutes.  When  dying  down,  I  approached  to  obtain 
a  closer  view  of  the  aperture  whence  had  issued  such 
a  powerful  stream.  A  sudden  gush  of  steam  drove 
me  away,  following  which  the  water  was  again  im- 
pelled upward  and  upward,  far  above  the  steam,  till 
it  seemed  to  have  lost  the  controlling  force  of  gravity, 
and  that  it  would  never  cease  to  rise.  The  roar  was 
like  the  sound  of  a  tornado,  but  there  was  no  appar- 
ent effort;  a  steady  stream,  very  graceful  and  per- 
fectly vertical,  except  as  a  slight  breeze  may  have 
waved  it  to  and  fro.  Strong  and  smooth,  it  continued 


*  Page  25,  "  Reconnaissance  of  the  Yellowstone  River." — See 
Appendix  E. 
t  See  foot  note,  page  168. 


232  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

to  ascend  like  the  stream  from  a  powerful  steam  fire- 
engine.  We  were  all  lost  in  astonishment  at  the 
sudden  and  marvelous  spectacle.  The  proportions  of 
the  fountain  were  perfect.  The  enthusiasm  of  the 
party  was  manifested  in  shouts  of  delight.  Under 
the  excitement  of  the  moment,  it  was  estimated  to  be 
from  three  to  five  hundred  feet  in  height." 

Further  up  the  fiver  on  the  same  side  and  at  some 
distance  back,  are  the  Lion,  Lioness  and  the  two  Cubs, 
an  interesting  group,  including  one  notable  geyser. 
Half  way  up  a  high  mound  of  geyserite  which  cov- 
ers a  large  area  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  is  an 
exquisitely  beautiful  formation  called,  from  its  appear- 
ance, the  Sponge. 

On  the  top  of  the  mound  is  another  of  the  great 
geysers,  thought  by  the  Washburn  Party  to  be  the 
greatest  in  the  world,  the  G-iantess.  It  belongs  to  the 
class  of  fountain  geysers,  and  when  not  in  action 
strongly  resembles  a  quiescent  spring.  Its  eruptions 
are  infrequent  and  irregular,  but  when  it  does  play  it 
is  a  sight  not  to  be  forgotten.  Mr.  Langford  thus  de- 
scribes the  first  eruption  known  to  have  been  seen  by 
white  men  :* 

"  We  were  standing  on  the  side  of  the  geyser  near- 
est the  sun,  the  gleams  of  which  filled  the  sparkling 
columns  of  water  and  spray  with  myriad  rainbows, 
whose  arches  were  constantly  changing — dipping  and 
fluttering  hither  and  thither,  and  disappearing  only  to 
be  succeeded  by  others,  again  and  again,  amid  the 
aqueous  column,  while  the  minute  globules,  into  which 
the  spent  jets  were  diffused  when  falling,  sparkled 

*  "  The  Wonders  of  the  Yellowstone."     See  Appendix  E. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 


233 


like  a  shower  of  diamonds,  and  around  every  shadow 
which  the  denser  clouds  of  vapor,  interrupting  the 


Terry  Engr.  Co.      Haynes,  Photo.,  St.  Paul. 

THE  BEE  HIVE  GEYSER. 


sun's  rays,  cast  upon  the  column,  could  be  seen  a 
luminous  circle,  radiant  with  all  the  colors  of  the 
prism,  and  resembling  the  halo  of  glory  represented 


234  THE    YELOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

in  paintings  as  encircling  the  head  of  Divinity.  All 
that  we  had  previously  witnessed  seemed  tame  in 
comparison  with  the  perfect  grandeur  and  beauty  of 
this  display." 

Between  the  Giantess  and  the  river  is  the  Bee  Hivey 
also  one  of  the  most  prominent  geysers.  The  symme- 
try of  its  cone  is  only  surpassed  by  the  regularity  of 
its  water  column.  From  an  artistic  point  of  view  it 
is  the  most  perfect  geyser  in  the  Park.  Its  slender  jet 
attains  a  great  height  and  is  vertical  and  symmetrical 
throughout. 

Crossing  again  to  the  west  bank  of  the  stream  and 
ascending  to  the  very  head  of  the  basin,  we  come  to 
the  last  and  most  important  of  the  geysers,  Old  Faith- 
ful. Any  other  geyser,  any  five  other  geysers,  could 
be  erased  from  the  list  better  than  part  with  Old 
Faithful.  The  Giant,  Giantess,  Grand,  Splendid,  and 
Excelsior,  have  more  powerful  eruptions.  The  Bee 
Hive  is  more  artistic.  The  Great  Fountain  has  a  more 
wonderful  formation.  But  Old  Faithful  partakes  in 
a  high  degree  of  all  these  characteristics,  and,  in  addi- 
tion, has  the  invaluable  quality  of  uniform  periodicity 
of  action.  It  is  in  fact  the  most  perfect  of  all  known 
geysers. 

To  it  fell  the  honor  of  welcoming  civilized  man  to 
this  region.  It  wras  the  first  geyser  named.  It  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  basin  and  has  been  happily  called 
"  The  Guardian  of  the  Valley." 

It  is  located  in  the  center  of  an  oblong  mound,  145 
by  215  feet  at  the  base,  20  by  54  feet  at  the  summit, 
and  about  12  feet  high.  The  tube,  which  seems  to 
have  originated  in  a  fissure  in  the  rock,  has  an  inside 
measurement  of  2  by  6  feet. 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


I'.  N.  (I'rnliii/ii'al  Xtu-ri'.H  <it  tin 

OLD  FAiTFrpn.. 


A    TOUR    OF    T11E    PARK.  235 

The  ornamentation  about  the  crater,  though  limited 
in  extent,  is  nowhere  surpassed  for  beauty  of  form 
and  color.  In  particular,  the  three  small  pools  on  the 
north  side  of  the  crater  and  very  close  to  it  are  speci- 
mens of  the  most  remarkable  handiwork  which  Mature 
has  lavished  upon  this  region.  A  singular  fact  is  that 
the  waters  in  these  three  pools,  although  so  close  to- 
gether as  apparently  to  be  subject  to  the  same  condi- 
tions, are  of  different  colors.  Speaking  of  these  mar- 
velous appearances,  Lieutenant  Doane  says  :  * 

"  One  instinctively  touches  the  hot  ledges  with  his 
hands,  and  sounds  with  a  stick  the  depths  of  the 
cavities  in  the  slope,  in  utter  doubt  of  the  evidence 
of  his  own  eyes.  .  .  .  It  is  the  most  lovely  in- 
animate object  in  existence." 

In  its  eruption  this  geyser  is  equally  fascinating. 
It  always  gives  ample  warning,  and  visitors  have  time 
to  station  themselves  where  the  view  will  be  most 
perfect.  The  graceful  column  rises,  at  first  with  ap- 
parent effort,  but  later  with  evident  ease,  to  a  height 
of  150  feet.  The  noise  is  simply  that  of  a  jet  of  water 
from  an  ordinary  hose,  only  in  intensity  correspond- 
ing to  the  greater  flow.  The  steam,  when  carried 
laterally  by  a  gentle  breeze,  unfurls  itself  like  an  enor- 
mous flag  from  its  watery  standard.  The  water  is  of 
crystal  clearness  and  the  myriad  drops  float  in  the  air 
with  all  manner  of  brilliant  effects.  To  quote  Lieu- 
tenant Doane  again  : 

"Rainbows  play  around  the  tremendous  fountain, 
the  waters  of  which  fall  about  the  basin  in  showers  of 


*  Page  29,   "  Yellowstone  Expedition  of   1870."    See  Appen- 
dix E. 


236  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

brilliants,  and  then  rush  steaming  down  the  slopes  to 
the  river." 

The  uniform  periodicity  of  this  geyser  is  its  most 
wonderful  and  most  useful  characteristic.  It  never 
fails  the  tourist.  With  an  average  interval  of  sixty- 
five  minutes,  it  varies  but  little  either  way.  Night 
and  day,  winter  and  summer,  seen  or  unseen,  this 
"tremendous  fountain"  has  been  playing  for  untold 
ages.  Only  in  thousands  of  years  can  its  lifetime  be 
reckoned ;  for  the  visible  work  it  has  wrought,  and  its 
present  infinitely  slow  rate  of  progress,  fairly  appall 
the  inquirer  who  seeks  to  learn  its  real  age. 

It  is  worth  while,  however,  to  note  the  enormous 
work  which  this  geyser  daily  performs.  A  conserva- 
tive estimate,  based  upon  an  extended  series  of  obser- 
vations made  in  1878  by  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  shows  that  the  outpour  for  an  average  erup- 
tion is  not  less  1,500,000  gallons,  which  gives  33,225,- 
000  gallons  per  day.  This  would  supply  a  city  of 
300,000  inhabitants.  The  combination  of  conditions  , 
by  which  the  supply  of  heat  and  water,  and  the  form 
of  tube,  are  so  perfectly  adapted  to  their  work,  that 
even  a  chronometer  is  scarcely  more  regular  in  its  ac- 
tion, is  one  of  the  miracles  of  nature. 


itrry  Enyr.  <'<>. 


<j.  o.  ijrutwyicul  Survey  <y  the  Xerritofiet, 


KEPLEK  CASCADE. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  237 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 

Upper  Geyser  Basin  to  the  Yellowstone  Lake. 

Distance,  nineteen  miles.  The  route  ascends  the 
Firehole  River  to  the  mouth  of  Spring  Creek,  which 
stream  it  follows  to  the  Continental  Divide.  For 
seven  miles  it  then  lies  on  the  Pacific  slope,  after 
which  it  descends  the  mountains  to  the  Yellowstone 
Lake.  The  drive  is  one  of  the  most  pleasant  in  the 
Park,  and  the  scenery  is  unconventional  and  wild. 

Kepler  Cascade  (1.25  miles)  is  a  fascinating  water- 
fall. Lieutenant  Doane,  who  first  wrote  of  it,  says  :* 

"  These  pretty  little  falls,  if  located  on  an  eastern 
stream,  would  be  celebrated  in  history  and  song; 
here,  amid  objects  so  grand  as  to  strain  conception 
and  stagger  belief,  they  were  passed  without  a  halt." 

We  counsel  the  tourist  not  to  so  pass  them. 

Half  a  mile  up  the  Firehole,  above  the  mouth  of 
Spring  Creek,  is  the  Lone  Star  Geyser  (4  miles). 
This  geyser  is  conspicuous  chiefly  for  its  fine  cone. 
It  plays  frequently  to  a  height  of  40  or  50  feet. 

Madison  Lake,  ten  miles  further  up  the  valley,  is 
the  ultimate  lake  source  of  the  Madison  River.  This 
lake,  with  possibly  the  exception  of  Red  Rock  Lake, 
the  source  of  the  Jefferson,  is  further  from  the  sea  by 
direct  water-course  than  any  other  lake  on  the  globe. 

Returning  down  the  Firehole,  we  enter  the  mouth 

*  Page  27,  "Yellowstone  Expedition  of  1870."  See  Appendix  E. 


238  THE    1ELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

of  Spring  Creek  Canon  (3.5  miles),  which  the  road 
traverses  for  a  distance  of  two  and  one-half  miles. 
This  narrow,  winding,  rocky  caflon,  under  the  shadow 
of  the  Continental  Divide,  is  full  of  picturesque  turns 
and  surprises. 


Terry  Engr.  Co.  Haynes,  Plioto.,  ftt.  Paul. 

LONE  STAR  GEYSER. 

The  first  crossing  of  the  Continental  Divide  (8.5 
miles)  is  through  a  narrow  canon,  Craig  Pass,  hemmed 
in  by  precipitous  cliffs,  inclosing  a  lily-covered  pond, 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 


239 


Isa  Lake,  which  rests   squarely  upon   the   doubtful 
ground  between  the  two  oceans. 

Shoshone  Point  (10.5  miles)  is  in  the  center  of  the 
large  amphitheater-shaped  tract  which  is  drained  by 
the  branches  of  De  Lacy  Creek.  It  overlooks  Shoshone 
Lake  and  the  broad  basin  surrounding  it,  and  gives  a 
second  glimpse  of  the  Teton  Mountains. 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


ISA  LAKE  AND  CRAIG  PASS. 


Shoshone  Lake  is  a  lovely  body  of  water,  with  an 
area  of  twelve  square  miles  and  a  most  picturesque 
shore  line.  On  its  west  shore  is  a  geyser  basin,  second 
in  importance  only  to  those  on  the  Firehole.  Among 
its  many  interesting  features  may  be  mentioned  the 
Union  Geyser,  of  which  the  middle  crater  plays  to  a 
height  of  100  feet ;  and  the  Bronze  Geyser,  very  strik- 


240  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

ing  because  of  the  perfect  metallic  luster  of  its  forma- 
tion. 

From  Shoshone  Point,  the  road  again  ascends  to 
the  Continental  Divide,  and  then  drops  down  the 
Atlantic  slope  toward  the  Yellowstone  Valley. 

Lake  View  (18  miles)  is  at  a  point  where  a  sudden 
turn  in  the  forest  road  brings  the  tourist,  quite  with- 
out warning,  in  full  view  of  one  of  the  most  striking 
water  landscapes  in  the  world.  The  whole  vista  of 
the  Yellowstone  Lake  is  spread  out  before  him,  still 
300  feet  below  where  he  is  standing.  Far  to  the 
right  and  left,  along  the  distant  eastern  shore,  extends 
the  Absaroka  Range  of  mountains,  many  of  its  sum- 
mits still  capped  with  snow.  Every-where  the  dark 
pine  forests  come  down  to  the  water's  edge,  in  fine 
contrast  with  the  silver  surface  of  the  lake.  The 
sparkling  of  the  waves,  the  passage  of  the  cloud 
shadows,  and,  in  sheltered  coves,  the  tranquil  mirror 
of  the  waters,  all  combine  to  make  the  picture  one  to 
be  long  remembered. 

The  Yellowstone  Lake  is  about  7,741  feet,  nearly  a 
mile  and  a  half,  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  has  a 
shore  line  of  100  miles,  and  an  area  of  139  square 
miles.  Its  maximum  depth  is  300  feet,  and  its  aver- 
age depth  about  30  feet.  It  is  fed  almost  entirely 
from  the  springs  and  snow  drifts  of  the  Absaroka 
Range.  Its  waters  are  icy  cold,  clear  and  transparent 
to  great  depths,  and  literally  swarm  with  trout.  It  is 
subject  to  heavy  south-west  winds,  and  at  times  is 
lashed  into  tempestuous  seas. 

The  shape  of  the  lake  was  compared  by  the  early 
explorers  to  the  form  of  the  human  hand.  The  resem- 
blance is  exceedingly  remote,  and  one  writer  has  well 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  241 

observed  that  only  the  hand  of  a  base  ball  player  who 
has  stood  for  years  behind  the  bat  could  satisfy  the 
comparison.  The  "  fingers"  have  now  been  generally 
dropped  from  the  maps  and  replaced  by  the  usual 
names;  but  "West  Thumb"  seems  to  have  become 
a  fixture. 

Surpassing  the  Yellowstone  Lake  both  in  area  and 
altitude  there  are  but  few  lakes  in  the  world.  Lake 
Titticaca,  in  Peru,  and  one  or  two  others  in  the  less 
explored  regions  of  the  Andes  ;  and  also  a  few  lakes 
on  the  lofty  tableland  of  Thibet,  comprise  the  num- 
ber. 

The  Yellowstone  Lake  has  been  a  theme  of  enthu- 
siastic praise  by  all  who  have  ever  seen  it ;  but  what 
seems  to  us  the  most  exquisite  tribute  it  has  ever  re- 
ceived is  to  be  found  in  the  farewell  words  of  Mr. 
Folsom,  when,  in  1869,  he  regretfully  turned  away 
from  its  western  shore  into  the  deep  forests  which  sur- 
round it  :* 

"As  we  were  about  departing  on  our  homeward 
trip,  we  ascended  the  summit  of  a  neighboring  hill 
and  took  a  final  look  at  Yellowstone  Lake.  Nestled 
among  the  forest-crowned  hills  which  bounded  our 
visions,  lay  this  inland  sea,  its  crystal  waves  dancing 
and  sparkling  in  the  sunlight  as  if  laughing  with  joy 
for  their  wild  freedom.  It  is  a  scene  of  transcendent 
beauty  which  has  been  viewed  by  but  few  white  men, 
and  we  felt  glad  to  have  looked  upon  it  before  its 
primeval  solitude  should  be  broken  by  the  crowds  of 


*  Page  20,  Langford's  reprint  of  the  "  Valley  of  the  Upper  Yel- 
lowstone."    See  Appendix  E. 


242 


THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 


pleasure  seekers  which  at  no  distant  day  will  throng 
its  shores." 

On  the  west  shore  of  the  lake  is  an  extensive  and 
important  hot  springs  basin.  The  principal  features 
are  the  Paint  Pots,  not  inferior  to  those  near  the  Foun- 
tain Hotel;  two  of  the  largest  and  most  beautiful 


Terry  Eng.  Co. 


FISHING  CONK. 


Gandy. 


quiescent  springs  in  the  Park;  the  Lake  Shore  Gey- 
ser, which  plays  frequently  to  a  height  of  about  30 
feet;  an  unnamed  geyser  of  considerable  power  but 
of  very  infrequent  action ;  and  the  celebrated  Fishing 
Cone  where  unfortunate  trout  find  catching  and  cook- 
ing painfully  near  together. 

From  the  west  shore  of  the  lake  a  visit  can  be  ad- 
vantageously made  to  Hart  Lake  and  Mount  Sheridan. 
The  lake  is  probably  the  prettiest  in  the  Park.  Near 


A    TOUR   OF    THE    PARK.  243 

it,  on  the  tributary  Witch  Creek,  is  a  small  but  impor- 
tant geyser  basin.  The  principal  features  are  the 
Deluge,  Spike  and  Rustic  geysers,  and  the  Fissure 
Group  of  springs.  The  Rustic  Geyser  is  remarkable 
in  having  about  it  a  cordon  of  logs,  evidently  placed 
there  by  the  Indians  or  white  men  many  years  ago. 
The  logs  are  completely  incrusted  with  the  deposits  of 
the  springs. 

Mt.  Sheridan  would  rank  with  Mt.  Washburn  as  a 
popular  peak  for  mountain  climbers  were  it  only 
more  accessible.  No  summit  in  the  Park  affords  a 
finer  prospect. 

From  the  west  shore  to  the  Lake  Outlet  the  tourist 
may  travel  either  by  stage  around  the  border  of  the 
lake,  or  by  boat  across  it.  If  he  does  not  want  to 
miss  one  of  the  notable  features  of  the  tour  he  will 
not  omit  the  boat  ride.  In  fact,  a  steamboat  ride,  at 
an  altitude  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  greater 
than  that  of  the  summit  of  Mt.  Washington  is  not  an 
every  day  diversion.  From  near  the  center  of  the 
lake  the  view  is  surpassingly  fine.  To  the  south 
and  south-west  the  long  arms  of  the  lake  penetrate 
the  dark  forest-crowned  hills,  which  are  but  stepping 
stones  to  the  lofty  mountains  behind  them.  Far 
beyond  these  may  again  be  seen  for  the  third  time  the 
familiar  peaks  of  the  Tetons.  All  along  the  eastern 
shore  stand  the  serried  peaks  of  the  Absaroka  Range, 
the  boundary  which  nature  has  so  well  established 
along  the  eastern  border  of  the  Park.  A  notable 
feature  of  this  range  is  the  profile  of  a  human  face 
formed  by  the  superimposed  contours  of  two  moun- 
tains, one  several  miles  behind  the  other.  The  best 
effect  is  had  from  points  between  Stevenson  Island  and 
the  Lake  Hotel.  The  face  is  looking  directly  upward. 


THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

A  similar  profile,  noted  by  the  early  explorers  from 
the  summit  of  Mt.  "Washburn,  and  nearly  in  the  same 
locality  as  this,  although  of  course  not  the  same 
feature,  was  called  by  them  the  "  Giant's  Face,"  or 
the  "  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain." 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


NATURAL   BRIDGE. 


Gcmdy. 


On  the  north-east  shore  of  the  lake  are  Steamboat 
Spring,  and  other  thermal  phenomena  worth  visiting. 
From  Bridge  Bay  at  the  north-west  of  the  lake,  a 
trip  of  a  mile  will  take  the  tourist  to  an  extremely  in- 
teresting freak  of  nature  in  the  form  of  a  Natural 
Bridge  over  a  small  tributary  of  Bridge  Creek.  The 


A    TOUR   OF    THE    PARK. 


245 


arch  is  forty-one  feet  high  with  a  thirty  foot  span. 
As  seen  from  the  down  stream  side  it  is  very  regular 
and  symmetrical. 

Some  twenty  miles  ahove  the  head  of  the  lake  is  the 
celebrated  Tiro-Ocean  Pass,  long  known  to  the  early 
trappers.  It  is  probably  the  most  remarkable  example 
of  such  a  phenomenon  in  the  world.  Although  the  fact 
of  its  existence  was  asserted  and  stoutly  maintained 
by  Bridger  for  many  years  prior  to  the  discovery  of 
the  Park  region,  it  was  generally  disbelieved  until 
Captain  Jones  crossed  the  pass  in  1873.  It  has  since 
been  visited  and  described  by  Hayden  in  1878,  by 
Hague  in  1884,  and  by  Prof.  Evermann  of  the  United 
States  Pish  Commission  in  1891.  The  following  facts 
and  map  are  taken  from  Prof.  Evermann's  report: 


-'''*— -, „, > ' 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


SKETCH  OF  TWO-OCEAN  PASS. 


246  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

The  pass  is  in  a  nearly  level  grassy  park  hemmed 
in  by  the  surrounding  hills,  and  is  8,150  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  Its  extreme  length  is  about  one  mile 
and  its  extreme  breadth  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile. 
From  the  north  a  stream  issues  from  a  canon,  a,  and 
divides  at  6,  part  flowing  to  Atlantic  Creek  and  part 
to  Pacific  Creek.  A  similar  stream,  <?,  with  a  similar 
division,  d,  comes  from  the  south.  At  extreme  low 
water,  these  divisions  may  possibly  disappear  and  all 
the  water  flow  either  one  way  or  the  other.  But  at 
ordinary  and  high  stages  the  water  flows  both  ways. 
These  streams  are  by  no  means  insignificant  rivulets, 
but  substantial  water-courses  capable  of  affording 
passage  to  fish  of  considerable  size. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  very  interesting  phenome- 
non of  a  single  stream  upon  the  summit  of  the  con- 
tinent dividing  and  flowing  part  one  way  and  part  the 
other,  and  forming  a  continuous  water  connection  be- 
tween the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans  over  a  distance 
of  nearly  6,000  miles. 

A  most  singular  and  interesting  acoustic  phenome- 
non of  this  region,  although  rarely  noticed  by  tourists, 
is  the  occurrence  of  strange  and  indefinable  overhead 
sounds.  They  have  long  been  noted  by  explorers,  but 
only  in  the  vicinity  of  Shoshone  and  Yellowstone 
Lakes.  They  seem  to  occur  in  the  morning,  and  to 
last  only  for  a  moment.  They  have  an  apparent  mo- 
tion through  the  air,  the  general  direction  noted  by 
writers  being  from  north  to  south.  The  following  de- 
scriptions are  from  the  pens  of  those  who  have  given 
some  study  to  these  strange  sounds.  Prof.  S.  A. 
Forbes  says : 

"  It  put  me  in  mind  of  the  vibrating  clang  of  a  harp 


A   TOUR   OF   THE   PARK.  247 

lightly  and  rapidly  touched  high  up  above  the  tree 
tops,  or  the  sound  of  many  telegraph  wires  swinging 
regularly  and  rapidly  in  the  wind,  or,  more  rarely,  of 
faintly  heard  voices  answering  each  other  overhead. 
It  begins  softly  in  the  remote  distance,  draws  rapidly 
near  with  louder  and  louder  throbs  of  sound,  and  dies 
away  in  the  opposite  direction  ;  or  it  may  seem  to 
wander  irregularly  about,  the  whole  passage  lasting 
from  a  few  seconds  to  half  a  minute  or  more."  * 

Mr.  Edwin  Linton  thus  describes  it : 

"  It  seemed  to  begin  at  a  distance,  grow  louder  over- 
head where  it  filled  the  upper  air,  and  suggested  a 
medley  of  wind  in  the  tops  of  pine  trees,  and  in  tele- 
graph wires,  the  echo  of  bells  after  being  repeated  sev- 
eral times,  the  humming  of  a  swarm  of  bees,  and  two 
or  three  other  less  definite  sources  of  sound,  making 
in  all  a  composite  which  was  not  loud,  but  easily 
recognized,  and  not  at  all  likely  to  be  mistaken  for 
any  other  sound  in  these  mountain  solitudes."  * 

No  rational  explanation  has  ever  been  advanced  for 
this  remarkable  phenomenon.  Its  woird  character  is 
in  keeping  with  its  strange  surroundings.  In  other 
lands  and  times  it  would  have  been  an  object  of  super- 
stitious reverence  or  dread,  and  would  have  found  a 
permanent  place  in  the  traditions  of  the  people. 

*  "  Overhead  sounds  in  the  vicinity  of  Yellowstone  Lake." 
See  Appendix  E. 


248       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 

The  Yellowstone  Lake  to  Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellow- 
stone. 

Distance  seventeen  miles.  The  road  follows  the 
Yellowstone  River  along  the  west  bank  all  the  way. 

Just  after  the  tourist  leaves  the  Lake  Hotel,  he  will 
see  on  the  right  of  the  roadway  a  small  monument. 
It  was  placed  there,  in  1893,  by  the  United  States 
Corps  of  Engineers  to  mark  a  position  accurately  de- 
termined from  astronomical  observations  by  the 
United  States  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  in  1892.  It 
is  of  value  as  a  point  of  reference  in  surveys  and  other 
similar  work.* 

Mud  Volcano  (7.5  miles)  is  a  weird,  uncanny  object, 
but,  nevertheless,  a  very  fascinating  feature  and  one 
which  the  tourist  should  stop  and  examine.  It  is  an 
immense  funnel-shaped  crater  in  the  side  of  a  consid- 
erable hill  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river.  The  mud 
rises  some  distance  above  a  large  steam  vent  in  the 
side  of  the  crater  next  the  hill,  and  chokes  the  vent 
until  the  steam  has  accumulated  in  sufficient  force  to 
lift  the  superincumbent  mass.  As  the  imprisoned 
steam  bursts  forth,  it  hurls  the  mud  with  great  vio- 
lence against  the  opposite  side  of  the  crater,  making 


Latitude,  44°  33'  16.1"  north. 
Longitude,  110°  23"  43.1"  west. 
Magnetic  variation  about  19°  east. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  249 

a  heavy  thud  which  is  audible  for  half  a  mile.  These 
outbursts  take  place  every  few  seconds. 

A  striking  example  of  the  strange  commingling  of 
dissimilar  features  in  the  hot  springs  districts  is  found 
in  the  Grotto,  a  spring  of  perfectly  clear  water,  not  far 
from  the  Mud  Volcano.  It  is  acted  upon  by  the 
steam  in  a  manner  precisely  similar  to  that  of  the 
Mud  Volcano,  but  its  waters  issue  directly  from  the 
rock,  and  are  entirely  clear. 

Mud  Geyser,  now  rarely  seen  in  action,  was  an  im- 
portant geyser  twenty  years  ago.  As  it  became  in- 
frequent in  its  eruptions,  and  tourists  rarely  saw  them, 
the  name  was  unconsciously,  but  mistakenly,  trans- 
ferred to  the  Mud  Volcano,  which  has  none  of  the 
characteristics  of  a  geyser. 

The  locality  where  these  objects  are  found  has  con- 
siderable historic  interest.  The  ford  just  below  the 
Mud  Volcano  was  long  used  by  the  hunters  and  trap- 
pers  who  passed  up  and  down  the  river.  Folsom 
crossed  it  in  1869,  and  the  Washburn  party  in  1870. 
The  Nez  Perces  encamped  here  two  days,  in  1877,  and 
here  transpired  a  part  of  the  episode  elsewhere  re- 
lated. Hither  came  General  Howard,  in  pursuit  of 
the  Indians,  although  he  did  not  cross  the  river  at 
this  point. 

Trout  Creek  (9.5  miles)  has  a  most  peculiar  feature, 
where  the  tourist  route  crosses  it,  in  the  form  of  an 
extraordinary  doubling  of  the  channel  upon  itself. 
It  was  this  stream  which  Mr.  Hedges,  in  1870,  called 
"a  lazy  creek  coiled  up  like  a  monster  serpent  under 
a  sand  bluff." 

Sulphur  Mountain  (11.5  miles)  is  half  a  mile  back 
from  the  main  route.  At  its  base  is  a  remarkable 


250 


THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


Sulphur  Spring,  always  in  a  state  of  violent  ebul- 
lition, although  discharging  only  a  small  amount  of 
water.  This  is  highly  impregnated  with  sulphur, 
and  leaves  a  yellow  border  along  the  rivulet  which 
carries  it  away.  The  best  time  to  visit  Sulphur  Moun- 
tain is  on  a  clear  sharp  morning.  The  myriad  little 
steam  vents  which  cover  the  surface  of  the  hill  are 
then  very  noticeable. 

Hay  den  Valley  is  a  broad  grassy  expanse  extending 
several  miles  along  the  river  and  far  back  from  it  on 
the  west  side.  It  was  once  a  vast  arm  of  the  lake. 
It  comprises  some  fifty  square  miles,  and  is  an  im- 
portant winter  range  for  the  Park  buffalo  and  elk. 


Terry  Knur.  do. 


RAPIDS  ABOVE  FALLS. 


Gaudy. 


The  river  along  the  lower  portion  of  this  valley  is 
the  most  tranquil  and  lovely  stream  imaginable — 
broad,  deep,  transparent,  flowing  peacefully  around 
its  graceful  curves,  disturbed  only  by  the  splashing 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  251 

trout  which  inhabit  it.  There  is  little  here  to  suggest 
the  mad  turmoil  into  which  it  is  soon  to  plunge.  At 
a  point  fifteen  miles  below  the  lake,  the  river  and  road 
are  forced  by  the  narrowing  valley  close  together. 
The  stream  becomes  suddenly  broken  into  turbulent 
cascades  as  it  dashes  violently  between  precipitous 
banks  and  among  massive  bowlders. 

The  road  also  becomes  decidedly  picturesque.  Hung 
up  on  the  almost  vertical  clift'  overlooking  the  rapids, 
it  forms  a  short  drive  unsurpassed  for  interest  any- 
where else  in  the  Park.  At  one  point  it  crosses  a 
deep  ravine  over  the  highest  bridge  on  the  road  sys- 
tem. Just  to  the  left  of  this  bridge,  in  the  bottom  of 
the  ravine,  still  stands  the  tree  upon  which  some 
white  man  carved  his  initials  away  back  in  1819. 

Half  a  mile  below  the  head  of  the  rapids,  the  river 
suddenly  contracts  its  width  to  less  than  fifty  feet, 
turns  abruptly  to  the  right,  and  disappears.  It  is  the 
Upper  Fall  of  the  Yellowstone.  In  some  respects, 
this  cataract  differs  from  almost  any  other.  Although 
the  ledge  over  which  it  falls  is  apparently  perpen- 
dicular, the  velocity  of  flow  at  the  crest  of  the  fall  is 
so  great  that  the  water  pours  over  as  if  on  the  surface 
of  a  wheel.  Visitors  at  Niagara  have  noticed  the  dif- 
ference in  this  respect  between  the  almost  vertical 
sheet  of  water  011  the  American  side  and  the  well- 
rounded  flow  at  the  apex  of  the  Horseshoe  Fall.  The 
height  of  the  Upper  Fall  of  the  Yellowstone  is  112 
feet. 

From  this  point,  the  character  of  the  scenery  is  wild 
and  rugged.  A  ride  of  a  few  hundred  yards  brings 
the  tourist  to  a  sharp  bend  in  the  road,  which  at  once 
unfolds  to  him  the  whole  vista  of  the  Grand  Canon  of 


252  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


Terry  Eng.  Oo. 

ORIGINAL  SKETCH.* 


the  Yellowstone.     The  sight  is  so  impressive  and  ab- 
sorbing that  the  chances  are  he  will  cross  the  ravine 

*  See  foot-note,  page  108. 


''.  -v.  >i''<i!o.iic  tl  Fitrrfy  i,f  int 

CAXON  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE. 

I.i>:ikiivi  down— probalily  from  L<.»>ku;U  I'oint. 


n-rrii  J-.IKJI:  'Cn.  Haynex,  Photo.,  St.  1'aul. 

ORAXD  CASON  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE. 

From  Inspiration  Point— looking  up  stream.     Lower  Fall  in  the  distance. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  253 

of  Cascade  Creek  without  even  noticing  the  lovely 
Crystal  Falls  almost  beneath  his  feet. 

The  Canon  Hotel  is  half  a  mile  beyond  Cascade 
Creek,  in  an  open  park,  a  little  way  back  from  the 
brink  of  the  Canon.  From  its  porch,  the  crest  of  the 
Upper  Fall  can  be  seen,  and  the  roar  of  both  cata- 
racts is  distinctly  audible.  This  hotel  and  that  at  the 
lake  are  the  most  desirable  in  the  Park  for  a  pro- 
tracted stay. 

The  Grand  Cafion  of  the  Yellowstone  is  acknowl- 
edged by  all  beholders  to  stand  without  parallel 
among  the  natural  wonders  of  the  globe.  Other 
cafions,  the  Yosernite,  for  example,  have  greater 
depths  and  more  imposing  walls  ;  but  there  are  none 
which,  in  the  words  of  Captain  Ludlow,  "unite  more 
potently  the  two  requisites  of  majesty  and  beauty." 
The  canon  itself  is  vast.  A  cross-section  in  the  largest 
part  measures  2,000  feet  at  the  top,  200  feet  at  the 
bottom,  and  is  1,200  feet  deep,  giving  an  area  of  over 
three  acres.  But  such  a  gorge  in  any  other  part  of 
the  world  would  not  be  what  it  is  here.  Its  sides 
wrould  soon  be  clothed  with  vegetation,  and  it  would 
be  simply  an  immense  valley,  beautiful,  no  doubt,  but 
not  what  it  is  in  the  Yellowstone  National  Park. 

There  are  three  distinct  features  which  unite  their 
peculiar  glories  to  enhance  the  beauty  of  this  canon. 
These  are  the  canon  itself,  the  waterfall  at  its  head, 
and  the  river  below. 

It  is  the  volcanic  rock  through  which  the  river  has 
cut  its  way  that  gives  the  Grand  Cafion  its  distinctive 
character.  It  is  preeminently  a  canon  of  color.  The 
hue  has  no  existence  which  can  not  be  found  there. 
"  Hung  up  and  let  down  and  spread  abroad  are  all  the 


254  THE. YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

colors  of  the  land,  sea,  and  sky,"  says  Talmage,  with- 
out hyperbole.  From  the  dark,  forest-bordered  brink, 
the  sides  descend  for  the  most  part  with  the  natural 
slope  of  the  loose  rock,  but  frequently  broken  by  ver- 
tical ledges  and  isolated  pinnacles,  which  give  a  castel- 
lated and  romantic  air  to  the  whole.  Eagles  build 
their  nests  here,  and  soar  midway  through  the  vast 
chasm,  far  below  the  beholder.  The  more  prominent 
of  the  projecting  ledges  cause  many  turns  in  the  gen- 
eral course  of  the  cafion,  and  give  numerous  vantage 
places  for  sight-seeing.  Lookout  Point  is  one  of  these, 
half  a  mile  below  the  Lower  Falls.  Inspiration  Point, 
some  two  miles  farther  down,  is  another.  The  gor- 
geous coloring  of  the  cafion  walls  does  not  extend 
through  its  entire  length  of  twenty  miles.  In  the 
lower  portion,  the  forests  have  crept  well  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  Still,  it  is  every- where  an  extremely 
beautiful  and  impressive  sight.  Along  the  bottom  of 
the  canon,  numerous  steam  vents  can  be  seen,  one  of 
which,  it  is  said,  exhibits  geyseric  action.  In  places, 
the  canon  walls  almost  shut  out  the  light  of  day  from 
the  extreme  bottom.  Lieutenant  Doane,  who  made 
the  dangerous  descent  several  miles  below  the  Falls, 
records  that  "  it  was  about  three  o'clock  p.  M.,  and 
stars  could  be  distincly  seen,  so  much  of  the  sunlight 
was  cut  off  from  entering  the  chasm." 

The  Lower  Fall  of  the  Yellowstone  must  be  placed 
in  the  front  rank  of  similar  phenomnena.  It  carries 
not  one4wentieth  the  water  of  Niagara,  but  Niagara 
is  in  no  single  part  so  beautiful.  Its  height  is  310 
feet.  Its  descent  is  very  regular,  slightly  broken  by 
a  point  of  rock  on  the  right  bank.  A  third  of  the  fall 
is  hidden  behind  the  vast  doud  of  spray  which  for- 


'»&£?%&$ 

Terry  Knur.  <  b.  j/,nmes,  I'lioto.,  ,V.  J'aul. 

LOWER  FALL  OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE — FROM  BELOW. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 


255 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


ORIGINAL  SKETCH.* 


ever  conceals  the  mad  play  of  the  waters  beneath ; 
but  the  mighty  turmoil  of  that  recess  in  the  rocks 
may  be  judged  from  the  deep-toned  thunder  which 

*  See  foot-note,  page  168. 


256       THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

rises  in  ceaseless  cadence  and  jars  the  air  for  miles 
around. 

To  many  visitors  the  stream  far  down  in  the  bottom 
of  the  canon  is  the  crowning  beauty  of  the  whole 
scene.  It  is  so  distant  that  its  rapid  course  is  dimin- 
ished to  the  gentlest  movement,  and  its  continuous 
roar  to  the  subdued  murmur  of  the  pine  forests.  Its 
winding,  hide-and-seek  course,  its  dark  surface  when 
the  shadows  cover  it,  its  bright  limpid  green  under  the 
play  of  the  sunlight,  its  ever  recurring  foam-white 
patches,  and  particularly  its  display  of  life  where  all 
around  is  silent  and  motionless,  make  it  a  thing  of 
entrancing  beauty  to  all  who  behold  it. 

It  is  not  strange  that  this  canon  has  been  a  theme 
for  writer,  painter,  and  photographer,  from  its  dis- 
covery to  the  present  time.  But  at  first  thought  it  is 
strange  that  all  attempts  to  portray  its  beauties  are 
less  satisfactory  than  those  pertaining  to  any  other 
feature  of  the  Park.  The  artist  Moran  acknowledged 
that  "its  beautiful  tints  were  beyond  the  reach  of  hu- 
man art;"  and  General  Sherman  said  of  this  artist's 
celebrated  effort:  "The  painting  by  Moran  in  the 
Capitol  is  good,  but  painting  and  words  are  unequal 
to  the  subject." 

In  photography,  the  number  of  pictures  by  profes- 
sional and  amateur  artists,  that  have  been  made  of 
this  canon  is  prodigious.  But  photography  can  only 
reproduce  the  form,  it  is  powerless  in  the  presence  of 
such  an  array  of  colors  as  here  exists. 

The  pen  itself  is  scarcely  more  effective  than  the 
pencil  or  camera.  Folsom,  who  first  wrote  of  the 
canon,  frankly  owned  that  "  language  is  entirely  in- 
adequate to  convey  a  just  conception  of  the  awful 


•".'"••  '  "•  //</.v«e.>,  I'/toto.,  fit.  1'uul. 

LOWER  FAI.I,  OK  THE  YELLOWSTONE — FROM  ABOVE. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  257 

grandeur  and  sublimity  of  this  masterpiece  of  nature's 
handiwork."  Time  has  shown  this  confession  to  be 
substantially  true.  From  the  clumsy  work  of  the  cas- 
ual newspaper  scribe,  to  the  giddy  flight  of  that  emi- 
nent clergyman,  who  fancied  he  saw  in  this  canon  a 
suitable  hall  for  the  great  judgment,  with  the  nations 
of  the  earth  filing  along  the  bottom  upon  waters  "  con- 
gealed and  transfixed  with  the  agitations  of  that  day," 
all  descriptions  do  injustice  to  their  subject.  They 
fall  short  of  their  mark  or  overreach  it.  They  are  not 
true  to  nature.  We  shall  therefore  pass  them  by,  with 
one  exception,  and  shall  commend  our  readers  to  a 
study  of  this  great  wonderwork  from  the  pine-clad 
verge  of  the  Grand  Cafion  itself. 

The  exception  to  which  reference  is  made  relates  to 
the  Grand  Canon  in  winter.  It  has  been  explained 
in  another  place  why  it  is  that  the  winter  scenery  of  the 
Park  must  ever  remain  a  sealed  book  except  to  those 
few  hardy  adventurers  who  are  willing  to  brave  the 
perils  of  winter  travel  in  that  region.  It  is  a  pleasure, 
therefore,  to  give  at  first  hand  what  one  of  those  in- 
trepid spirits  felt  as  he  stood  upon  Lookout  Point  less 
than  two  years  ago,  and  saw  the  famous  canon  clad  in 
its  annual  mantle  of  white.  He  says  :.* 

"  I  suppose  thousands  have  stood  grasping  the  stem 
of  that  same  sturdy,  ragged  tree,  and  have  looked  in  si- 
lence as  we  did.  They  have  seen  the  canon  in  summer, 
and  I  wish  they  might  all  see  it  also  in  the  depth  of  win- 
ter. Now  the  glorious  colors  of  the  walls  were  gone, 
but  the  peaks  and  crosses  and  pinnacles  were  there,  free 
of  all  color,  but  done  in  clean,  perfect  white.  It 


*  E.  Hough,  in  Forest  and  Stream,  June  30,  1894,  p.  553. 


258 


THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


was  "  frozen  music  " — the  diapason  of  nature's  might- 
iest and  most  mysterious  anthem  all  congealed  in 
white,  visible,  palpable,  authentic.  No  thinking  man 
could  stand  there  and  not  feel  the  exalted  and  com- 
pelling theme  go  thrilling  to  his  heart." 


Terry  Engr.  Co. 


TJ.  S.  Geological  Surrey. 


GRANITE  BLOCK,  NEAR  INSPIRATION  POINT. 

Back  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Inspiration 
Point,  but  within  fifty  yards  of  the  brink  of  the  canon, 
is  a  huge  rectangular  block  of  granite  which  rests 
alone  in  the  woods,  a  most  singular  and  striking  ob- 
ject. It  is  evidently  an  intruder  in  unfamiliar  ter- 
ritory, for  there  is  not  a  particle  of  granite  out- 
crop known  to  exist  within  twenty  miles.  It  must 
have  been  transported  to  this  place  from  some  dis- 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARJC.  259 

tant  quarry  by  the  powerful  agencies  of  the  Glacial 
Epoch. 

To  the  eastward  from  the  Grand  Canon  are  several 
interesting  hot  springs  districts,  and  there  is  one 
notable  group  at  the  southern  base  of  Mount  Wash- 
burn. 


260  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK. 

The  Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone  to  Junction  Valley. 

Distance  twenty-two  miles.*  From  the  Grand 
Canon  north  lies  the  true  scenic  portion  of  the  tourist 
route.  Hitherto,  the  main  attractions  have  been  the 
geyser  basins,  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  and  the  Grand 
Canon.  The  tourist  has  probably  frequently  expressed 
his  disappointment  at  not  finding  as  much  rugged 
mountain  scenery  as  he  had  expected.  But  from  this 
point  on  he  will  have  no  cause  to  complain. 

ML  Washburn  (12  miles)  is  the  most  celebrated 
peak  in  the  Park,  and  the  first  to  receive  its  present 
name.  Its  prominence  justifies  its  notoriety,  but  the 
real  cause  of  it  is  the  fact  that  for  eight  years  the 
main  tourist  route  lay  across  it.  From  its  summit  the 
Washburn  party  received  the  first  definite  confirma- 
tion .of  the  truth  of  the  rumors  that  led  them  into 
this  region.  All  reports  and  magazine  articles  which 
first  gave  a  knowledge  of  the  Park  to  the  world  were 
written  by  persons  who  had  crossed  this  mountain. 
As  the  view  from  its  summit  is  comprehensive  and 
grand,  covering  almost  the  entire  Park,  it  of  course 
figured  prominently  in  all  narratives.  Tourists  fell 
into  the  custom  established  by  the  first  explorers,  of 


*  The  distances  given  in  this  chapter  are  only  approximate,  the 
surveys  for  a  wagon  road  from  the  canon  to  Mammoth  Hot  Springs, 
via  Mt.  Washburn,  not  being  yet  completed. 


'/'(•/•/•//  Klllll- 


TOWER  FALLS. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  261 

leaving  their  cards  in  a  receptacle  for  the  purpose  on 
the  summit.  Many  eminent  names  are  to  be  seen 
there.  It  is  a  matter  for  congratulation  that  the  prog- 
ress upon  the  road  system  will  soon  restore  this  moun- 
tain to  its  former  place  in  the  tourist  route. 

Tower  Falls  (20  miles)  is  perhaps  the  most  graceful 
cataract  in  the  Park,  and  should  never  be  passed  with- 
out a  visit.  It  is  on  Tower  Creek  only  a  short  dis- 
tance back  from  the  Yellowstone.  Lieutenant  Doane 
says  in  his  report :  * 

"  Nothing  can  be  more  chastely  beautiful  than  this 
lovely  cascade,  hidden  away  in  the  dim  light  of  over- 
shadowing rocks  and  woods,  its  very  voice  hushed  to 
a  low  murmur,  unheard  at  the  distance  of  a  few  hun- 
dred yards.  Thousands  might  pass  by  within  a  half 
mile  and  not  dream  of  its  existence ;  but  once  seen, 
it  passes  to  the  list  of  most  pleasant  memories." 

Near  this  point  on  both  banks  of  the  river  are 
numerous  sulphur  fumaroles,  the  last  evidence  of  sub- 
terraneous fire  which  the  tourist  will  encounter  on  his 
trip.  A  little  way  above  the  mouth  of  the  stream  is 
the  old  Bannock  Ford,  the  same  by  which  Colter 
crossed  in  1807.  It  is  the  only  practicable  ford  within 
twenty  miles  in  either  direction. 

Junction  Butte  (22  miles)  is  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Yellowstone  in  the  angle  between  that  stream  and  the 
East  Fork.  It  stands  not  only  near  one  of  the  most 
important  stream  junctions  in  the  Park,  but  also  near 
a  not  less  important  road  junction.  It  is  a  very  strik- 
ing object.  Its  summit  is  nearly  flat,  and  its  sides 

*  Page  8,  "Yellowstone  Expedition  of  ]870."  See  Appen- 
dix E. 


262        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

near  the  summit  are  perpendicular.  Below  this  is  a 
steep  slope  composed  of  enormous  masses  of  finely 
broken  stone  disengaged  from  the  cliff  by  the  force 
of  the  elements.  It  is  a  fitting  landmark  for  its  im- 
portant situation. 


Terry  Engr.  Co.  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories. 

FIRST  BRIDGE  OVER  THE  YELLOWSTONE. 

Baronetfs  Bridge  crosses  the  river  immediately 
opposite  Junction  Butte.  It  is  the  first  and  only 
bridge  yet  (1895)  built  across  the  Yellowstone  within 
the  limits  of  the  Park.  It  was  built  by  the  well 
known  mountaineer,  J.  H.  Baronett,  in  the  spring  of 
1871,  for  the  convenience  of  Clark's  Fork  miners.  It 
was  partially  destroyed  by  the  Nez  Perces  in  1877,  but 
was  repaired  by  Howard's  command,  and  still  further 
repaired  the  following  year  by  Baronett  and  Norris. 


A   TOUR   OF   THE    PARK.  263 

In  1880,  it  was  replaced  by  a  more  substantial  struc- 
ture. At  present  it  enjoys  the  unique  distinction  of 
being  a  private  toll  bridge  on  a  government  reserva- 
tion. 

Junction  Valley*  described  elsewhere,  is  a  name 
properly  applicable  to  the  valley  inclosed  by  Crescent 
Hill,  Mt.  Washburn,  Specimen  Ridge,  and  the  moun- 
tains north  of  Lamar  River.  This  valley,  and  those 
of  tributary  streams,  form  the  largest  treeless  tract  in 
the  Park. 

Amethyst  Mountain,  Specimen  Ridge,  and  the  Fossil 
Forests  are  names  at  once  suggestive  of  the  action  of 
geological  agencies  which  have  been  described  in  an- 
other chapter.  Amethyst,  limpid  quartz,  milky  quartz, 
chalcedony,  carnelian,  prase,  chrysoprase,  banded 
agate,  flint,  jaspers  of  all  colors,  semi-opal,  calcite,  and 
many  other  varieties  abound.  The  forest  petrifactions 
present  one  of  the  most  interesting  scientific  problems 
in  the  Park. 

The  Lamar  River  Canon  (7  miles  above  Junction 
Butte)  is  a  gorge  about  half  a  mile  long,  the  chief 
characteristic  of  which  is  the  enormous  number  and 
size  of  boulders  which  have  fallen  into  it.  These  are 
almost  spherical  in  shape,  and,  in  many  instances,  are 
as  smooth  as  if  from  the  hand  of  a  stone  glazier. 
They  are  piled  up  like  billiard  balls,  to  such  a  depth 

*  The  popular  name  for  this  locality  is  "  Yancey's,"  from  John 
Yancey,  who  has  long  held  a  lease  in  the  Valley  of  Lost  Creek  at 
the  foot  of  Crescent  Hill.  He  has  kept  a  sort  of  hotel  or  stop- 
ping place  for  the  convenience  of  travelers  to  Cooke  City,  as  well 
as  for  tourists  between  the  Grand  Canon  and  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs  by  way  of  Mt.  Washburn. 


264        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 

that  the  stream  flows  entirely  out  of   sight  beneath 
them.* 

Soda  Butte  (15  miles  above  Junction  Butte)  and 
Soda  Butte  Canon,  extending  from  Soda  Butte  to 
Cooke  City,  are  worthy  of  much  attention.  The 
canon  in  particular  is  as  wonderful  a  bit  of  scenery  as 
any  mountains  afibrd.  It  is  every-where  rugged,  ma- 
jestic and  imposing,  and  there  is  no  point  in  its 
twelve  miles  length  that  does  not  present  a  landscape 
deserving  of  the  tourist's  careful  study.  Mr.  "W.  H. 
Weed,  who  has  done  much  work  in  the  Park,  and 
particularly  in  this  section,  says  of  this  valley  : 

"  To  the  eastward  Soda  Butte  Valley  penetrates  the 
heart  of  the  rugged  Sierra,  whose  high  peaks  rise  in 
castellated  forms.  The  visitor,  disappointed  perhaps 
in  the  mountain  scenery  of  the  Park,  after  traveling 
the  usual  route  over  the  dusty  roads  of  the  Park  pla- 
teau, will  here  find  mountain  views  that  are  sure  to 
fulfill  his  expectations,  while  the  neighborhood  is  not 
lacking  in  curiosities  that  in  another  land  would  at- 
tract visitors  from  far  and  wide."f 

Cooke  City  is  a  small  mining  camp  just  outside  the 
north-east  corner  of  the  Park  in  the  midst  of  the 
Clark's  Fork  mining  district.  It  is  of  interest  in  this 
connection  only  on  account  of  its  notorious  hostility 
to  the  Yellowstone  National  Park. 

Death  Gulch,  reputed  to  exist  in  the  valley  of  Cache 
Creek,  is  like  Bridger's  Glass  Mountain,  mostly  a 
product  of  the  imagination.  It  seems  that  some 

*  Above  the  head  of  this  canon  are  the  remains  of  what  seems 
to  have  once  been  a  bridge,  but  no  record  concerning  it  has  come 
to  the  writer's  notice. 

t  Fossil  Forests  of  the  Yellowstone.     See  Appendix  E. 


A    TOUR    OF    THE    PARK.  265 

animals  were  once  poisoned  there,  and  that  later,  cer- 
tain explorers,  finding  them,  attributed  their  death  to 
an  escape  of  carbonic  acid  gas  from  the  earth.  The 
name  has  found  its  way  into  maps  and  reports  of 
highest  authority,  but  the  object  itself  has  no  exist- 
ence. 

The  Hoodoo  Region  is  near  the  head  of  Miller  Creek 
just  outside  the  original  reservation,  although  within 
the  Forest  Reserve  addition.  This  mysterious  region 
furnishes  probably  the  most  striking  example  in 
existence  of  the  effects  of  erosion  and  wind  action 
upon  masses  of  moderately  soft  rock.  The  region 
was  discovered  by  miners  in  1870,  but  was  first  ex- 
plored and  reported  upon  by  Colonel  Norris  in  1880, 
who  thus  describes  it :  * 

"  Nearly  every  form,  animate  or  inanimate,  real  or 
chimerical,  ever  actually  seen  or  conjured  by  the  im- 
agination, may  here  be  observed.  Language  does  not 
suffice  to  properly  describe  these  peculiar  formations; 
sketches  may  probably  do  something,  and  photographs 
more,  to  convey  a  conception  of  their  remarkable 
character,  but  actual  observation  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  adequately  impress  the  mind  with  the  wild, 
unearthly  appearance  of  these  eroded  Koodoos  of  the 
Goblin  Land.  These  monuments  are  from  fifty  to 
two  or  three  hundred  feet  in  height,  with  narrow, 
tortuous  passages  between  them,  which  sometimes  are 
tunnels  through  permanent  snow  or  ice  fields,  where 
the  big-horn  sheep  hide  in  safety ;  while  the  ceaseless 
but  ever  changing  moans  of  the  wild  winds  seem  to 

*  Page  8,  Annual  Report,  Superintendent  of  the  Park,  for  the 
year  1880. 


266  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

chant  fitting  requiems  to  these  gnome-like  monuments 
of  the  legendary  Indian  gods." 

Returning  to  Junction  Valley,  and  following  down 
the  Yellowstone,  the  tourist  soon  arrives  at  the  Third 
Canon  (the  third  above  Livingston,  the  Grand  Cation 
being  fourth),  which  extends  from  the  eastern  limit 
of  Junction  Valley  to  the  north  boundary  of  the  Park. 
Located  anywhere  else,  away  from  the  overshadowing 
splendor  of  the  Grand  Canon,  it  would  become  cele- 
brated. Some  of  the  views,  particularly  from  the 
high  ground  north  of  Mt.  Everts,  overlooking  by 
nearly  2,000  feet  the  vast  chasm  through  which  the 
turbulent  river  flows,  are  among  the  most  impressive 
in  the  entire  region. 

From  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Third  Cafioii, 
the  road  crosses  the  plateau  of  Black  Tail  Deer  Creek 
to  the  valley  of  the  East  Gardiner.  The  tour  termi- 
nates at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs. 


HOSTILITY  TO  THE  PARK.  267 


PART  III.— The  Future. 


CHAPTER    I. 

HOSTILITY    TO     THE     PARK. 

From  what  has  been  thus  far  set  forth  the  reader  can 
not  have  failed  to  observe  how  fortunate  have  been  the 
events,  both  in  prehistoric  and  in  recent  times,  which 
have  made  the  Yellowstone  National  Park  what  it  is 
to-day.  In  the  course  of  long  ages  Nature  developed 
this  region  into  its  present  attractive  form,  and  filled 
it  with  wonders  which  will  never  fail  to  command  the 
admiration  of  men.  She  placed  it  upon  the  very  apex 
of  the  continent,  and  made  of  it  an  inexhaustible  re- 
servoir of  water  for  a  perennial  supply  to  the  parched 
and  rainless  desert  around  it.  She  interspersed  among 
its  forests  an  abundance  of  parks  and  valleys,  where 
the  native  fauna  of  the  continent,  elsewhere  fast  pass- 
ing away,  may  find  protection  in  all  future  time.  With 
infinite  foresight  she  made  it  unfit  for  the  gainful  oc- 
cupations of  men,  so  that  every  motive  to  appropriate 
it  for  private  use  is  removed. 

For  many  years  after  the  white  man  first  looked 
within  its  borders,  a  rare  combination  of  circumstances 
prevailed  to  keep  it  from  becoming  generally  known 
until  the  time  had  arrived  when  the  government  could 
effectually  reserve  it  from  settlement.  Finally,  since 
its  formal  erection  into  a  public  park,  the  same  good 
fortune  has  attended  it,  in  spite  of  many  adverse  in- 


268  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

fluences,  until  it  has  become  thoroughly  intrenched  in 
the  good  opinion  of  the  people. 

So  fully  has  the  experience  of  the  past  quarter  cen- 
tury confirmed  the  wisdom  of  setting  apart  this  region 
for  public  uses,  that  it  ought  no  longer  to  be  necessary 
to  say  a  word  in  favor  of  its  continued  preservation. 
To  most  people  it  will  seem  impossible  that  there 
should  be  any  one  who  would  seek  the  mutilation  or 
destruction  of  this  important  reservation.  Unfortun- 
ately there  are  many  such.  No  session  of  Congress 
for  twenty  years  has  been  free  from  attempted  legisla- 
tion hostile  to  the  Park.  The  schemes  to  convert  it 
into  an  instrument  of  private  greed  have  been  many, 
and  strange  as  it  may  seem,  they  are  invariably  put 
forward  by  those  very  communities  to  whom  the  Park 
is,  and  must  ever  remain,  the  chief  glory  of  their  sec- 
tion. It  is  a  lamentable  proof  of  the  dearth  of  patri- 
otic spirit  that  always  betrays  itself  whenever  the  in- 
terests of  individuals  and  of  the  public  come  into 
collision.  Nevertheless  it  is  a  great  satisfaction  to 
know  that  this  spirit  of  hostility  is  confined  to  an  in- 
finitesimal portion  of  the  whole  people.  Excepting  a 
few  mine  owners  and  their  following,  a  handful  of 
poachers,  one  or  two  railroad  corporations,  and  a  few 
greedy  applicants  for  special  franchises,  the  people  of 
the  country  are  a  unit  in  favor  of  the  strictest  preser- 
vation of  this  great  national  pleasure  ground.  No 
better  proof  of  this  can  bo  had  than  the  fact  that  the 
Park  has  successfully  withstood  for  so  long  a  period 
every  attack  that  has  been  made  upon  it. 

It  will  not  do,  however,  to  assume  that,  because 
these  schemes  have  hitherto  failed,  they  will  always 


HOSTILITY    TO    THE    PARK. 

continue  to  fail.  Since  they  have  their  origin  in  spec- 
ulative ventures,  they  will  be  put  forward  so  long  as 
they  otfer  the  least  pecuniary  inducement.  The  cer- 
tainty of  this,  and  the  danger  of  their  ultimate  success, 
justify  the  assignment  of  a  brief  space  to  a  considera- 
tion of  this  subject. 


270        THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 


CHAPTER   II. 

RAILROAD    ENCROACHMENT   AND    CHANGE    OF   BOUNDARY. 

Nearly  all  of  the  enterprises  that  have,  been  put 
forward  in  opposition  to  the  true  interests  of  the 
Reservation  partake  of  the  nature  of  railroad  en- 
croachment. Without  entering  into  the  merits  of 
particular  projects,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  explain  in 
general  terms  the  reasons  why  the  government  has 
always  opposed  them. 

Railroads  in  the  Yellowstone  Park  are  objection- 
able because : 

(1.)  They  will  mar,  and  in  places  destroy,  that  nat- 
ural condition  which  is  one  of  its  greatest  charms. 
From  the  first  it  has  been  the  wish  of  those  who  know 
any  thing  of  the  Yellowstone  that  it  should  remain 
as  nature  made  it.  The  instructions  of  the  Interior 
Department  to  the  first  Superintendent  of  the  Park, 
two  months  after  the  Act  of  Dedication  became  a 
law,  thus  announced  the  policy  of  the  government 
upon  this  subject : 

"  It  is  not  the  desire  of  the  Department  that  any 
attempts  shall  be  made  to  beautify  or  adorn  this 
reservation,  but  merely  to  preserve  from  injury  or 
spoliation  the  timber,  mineral  deposits,  and  various 
curiosities  of  that  region,  eo  far  as  possible,  in  their 
natural  condition." 

It  requires  no  argument  to  show  that  nothing  would 
so  interfere  with  this  natural  condition  as  the  con- 
struction of  a  railroad  through  that  country  ;  and  the 


RAILROAD     ENCROACHMENT,     ETC.  271 

danger  involved  in  these  projects  early  became  ap- 
parent to  all  who  were  well  acquainted  with  the 
situation.  As  early  as  1883,  Lieutenant  Kingman 
thus  refers  to  this  subject  in  his  annual  report, 
wherein  he  describes  his  proposed  road  system  for 
the  Park : 

"  The  plan  tor  improvement  which  I  have  submit- 
ted is  given  in  the  earnest  hope  and  upon  the  suppo- 
sition that  it  [the  Park]  will  be  preserved  as  nearly  as 
may  be  as  the  hand  of  nature  left  it — a  source  of 
pleasure  to  all  who  visit  it,  and  a  source  of  wealth  to 
no  one.  If  the  Park  ever  becomes  truly  popular 
and  national,  it  will  be  when  the  people  come  to 
know  and  appreciate  its  delightful  summer  climate, 
the  wonderful  efficiency  of  its  baths  and  its  mineral 
waters,  as  well  as  the  natural  wonders,  beauties  and 
curiosities  to  be  seen  there.  Then,  if  there  are  nu- 
merous small,  quiet  hotels  scattered  here  and  there 
throughout  the  Park,  wh^ere  visitors  can  have  plain 
and  simple  accommodations  at  moderate  prices,  the 
overworked  and  the  sick,  as  well  as  the  curious,  will 
come  here,  not  to  be  awed  by  the  great  falls  and  as- 
tounded by  the  geysers,  and  then  to  go  away,  but  will 
come  here  and  will  remain  for  weeks  and  months, 
and  will  find  what  they  seek,  rest,  recreation  and 
health.  But  if  it  ever  becomes  the  resort  of  fashion, 
if  its  forests  are  stripped  to  rear  mammoth  hotels,  if 
the  race-course,  the  drinking  saloon  and  gambling-table 
invade  it,  if  its  valleys  are  scarred  by  railroads,  and 
its  hills  pierced  by  tunnels,  if  its  purity  and  quiet  are 
destroyed  and  broken  by  the  noise  and  smoke  of 
the  locomotive ;  .  .  .  then  it  will  cease  to  belong 
to  the  whole  people,  and  will  interest  only  those  that 


272  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL   PARK. 

it  helps  to  enrich,  and  will  be  unworthy  the  care  and 
protection  of  the  National  Government." 

The  history  of  the  twelve  years  since  the  above  was 
written  confirms  in  every  point  this  forcible  presenta- 
tion of  the  case. 

(2.)  Railroads  will  unavoidably  seriously  cripple 
the  present  tourist  routes.  They  must  of  necessity 
occupy  the  valleys.  But  it  is  through  these  that  the 
tourist  route  passes,  and  it  is  frequently  the  case  that 
they  are  not  wide  enough  for  both.  In  many  cases 
'the  roadway  would  be  forced  back  upon  the  hills, 
and  in  others  its  present  location  would  have  to  be 
changed.  It  is  certain  that  the  admirable  system  of 
roads,  which  the  government  is  slowly  working  out, 
would  receive  irreparable  injury  at  the  hands  of  any 
railroad  which  might  be  built  through  that  region. 

(3.)  Railroads  would  mean  the  inevitable  destruc- 
tion of  the  large  game.  The  winter  snows  are  too 
deep  among  the  hills  for  game  to  subsist  there.  It  is 
necessary  to  come  down  into  the  valleys,  where  there  is 
more  grass  and  less  snow.  But,  as  already  stated,  it 
is  through  these  valleys  that  railroads  must  pass  if  at 
all.  The  trains  would  frighten  the  animals  back  into 
the  hills,  where  starvation  would  await  them.  More- 
over, the  loss  of  game  from  poaching  would  be  greatly 
aggravated  by  the  increased  facility  of  clandestine  ac- 
cess to  that  regio.n. 

(4.)  Railroads  would  destroy  the  Park  forests.  Dur- 
ing July,  August,  and  September,  there  are  always 
long  periods  of  dry  weather  when  the  dense  bodies  of 
fallen  timber,  the  impenetrable  tangles  of  underbrush, 
and  the  luxuriant  prairie  grass  are  a  mass  of  inflam- 
mable tinder.  A  spark  converts  it  into  a  conflagra- 


RAILROAD    ENCROACHMENT,   ETC.  273 

tion.  A  railroad  winding  its  way  through  this  coun- 
try would  render  protection  against  fires,  even  now  a 
matter  of  great  difficulty,  wholly  out  of  the  question. 
Referring  to  this  subject  in  his  annual  report  for  1894, 
the  Superintendent  of  the  Park  says  : 

"  Six  months  from  the  entrance  of  the  first  locomo- 
tive within  the  limits  of  the  Park,  there  will  not  be 
one  acre  of  its  magnificent  forests  left  unburned." 

What  such  a  catastrophe  would  mean  to  the  future 
development  of  the  surrounding  country  may  be  ap- 
preciated by  a  perusal  of  our  chapter  on  the  Flora  of 
the  Yellowstone. 

(5.)  As  a  matter  of  public  policy,  the  granting  of  a 
railway  franchise  in  the  Park  is  objectionable  because 
it  necessarily  creates  a  perpetual  monopoly  of  a  public 
privilege.  There  is  no  practicable  way  to  avoid  it. 
It  has  been  proposed  to  compel  the  railroad  to  share 
the  advantage  of  this  monopoly  with  the  public,  by 
paying  a  certain  percentage  of  earnings  on  its  Park 
business  to  constitute  an  improvement  fund.  With 
Union  Pacific  history  fresh  in  the  public  mind,  the 
government  will  not  be  likely  to  enter  into  a  partner- 
ship of  that  precarious  nature. 

From  the  foregoing  exposition,  it  is  clear  that  only 
the  most  cogent  reasons  should  ever  sanction  the  con- 
struction of  railroads  in  the  Yellowstone  Park.  These 
reasons,  from  the  standpoint  of  the  railroad  com- 
panies, as  set  forth  by  the  promoters  of  a  recent  bill 
before  Congress,  fall  under  two  heads. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  speciously  urged  that  a  rail- 
road would  render  the  Park  more  accessible,  cheapen 
the  cost  of  visiting  it,  and  make  it  fulfill  more  per- 
fectly its  original  design  as  a  park  for  the  people.  To 


274  THE   YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL   PARK. 

all  this  it  may  be  replied  that  the  people  do  not  want 
the  improvement  at  the  price  they  must  pay  for  it. 
By  an  almost  unanimous  voice  they  oppose  it.  It  is 
true  that  the  Park  is  not  as  accessible  as  one  might 
wish  it  to  be,  or  as  it  soon  will  be.  But  to  make  it 
easily  accessible,  it  is  by  no  means  necessary  that  a 
railroad  should  pass  through  it.  A  line  touching  the 
southern  boundary  and  communicating  with  the  cen- 
tral portions  of  the  country  would  answer  every  prac- 
tical purpose.  The  pretext  that  a  railroad  across  the 
Reservation  will  greatly  aid  the  tourist  is  erroneous. 
The  points  of  interest  are  so  scattered  about  that  a 
coach  would  be  in  any  case  a  necessity,  and  all  the 
railroad  would  really  save  to  the  tourist  would  be  the 
distance  from  the  boundary  to  the  belt  line. 

Neither  will  such  a  railroad  materially  lessen  the 
cost  of  a  visit,  which  has  always  been,  and  will  always 
be,  in  the  main,  getting  to  that  region.  The  Reserva- 
tion is  1,500  miles  from  the  center  of  population  of 
the  country,  and  it  is  this  remote  location  that  makes 
visiting  it  cost.  The  outlay  after  getting  there  is 
trifling  in  comparison  with  that  of  coming  and  going. 
Whether  a  railroad  pass  though  the  Park,  or  simply 
touch  its  southern  border,  will  not  appreciably  affect 
this  principal  item. 

In  the  second  place,  it  is  urged  that  the  Park  stands 
directly  in  the  path  of  the  railroads  and  so  "  acts  as  a 
blockade  to  the  development  of  three  large  states." 
As  this  will  always  form  the  staple  argument  for 
granting  a  right-of-way  for  railroads  across  the  Reser- 
vation, it  will  be  well  to  scrutinize  it  somewhat  care- 
fully. 

It  is  not  at  all  a  question  of  whether  the  country 


RAILROAD   ENCROACHMENT,  ETC.  275 

•about  the  Park  is  at  present  sufficiently  supplied  with 
railroads.  The  important  question  is :  Will  any 
portion  of  this  territory  be  better  served  by  a  rail- 
road that  may  be  built  across  the  Reservation  than 
by  one  coming  from  another  direction?  The  most 
superficial  examination  of  the  map,  even  by  one  not 
personally  acquainted  with  the  country,  will  answer 
this  question  in  the  negative.  The  Yellowstone  Val- 
ley on  the  north,  the  Bighorn  Valley  on  the  east,  the 
Jackson  Lake  country  on  the  south,  and  the  Madison 
and  Henry  Fork  Valleys  on  the  west,  find  their  nat- 
ural outlets  by  routes  not  passing  through  the  Yel- 
lowstone Park.  A  railroad  entering  the  Park  on  one 
side  through  a  lofty  wall  of  mountains,  and  leaving  it 
on  the  other  through  a  similar  wall,  after  traversing 
the  inclosed  plateau  for  a  distance  of  perhaps  seventy- 
five  or  one  hundred  miles,  would  be  almost  as  much 
lost  to  the  country  outside  as  if  for  this  whole  distance 
it  were  built  through  a  tunnel.  In  fact,  the  true  wel- 
fare both  of  the  Park  and  of  the  surrounding  country 
would  be  best  served  by  a  line  passing  through  the 
Wind  River  Valley,  across  one  of  the  easy  passes  into 
the  Valley  of  the  Snake,  and  thence  along  the  south- 
ern border  of  the  Park,  past  Jackson  Lake  and  the 
northern  spur  of  the  Teton  Range,  into  the  valleys  of 
Idaho  and  Montana.  This  would  give  the  Park  a 
needed  southern  approach,  and  would  directly  serve  a 
vast  tract  of  territory.  Tributary  either  to  this  line, 
or  to  one  north  of  the  Park,  or  to  both,  another  would 
soon  be  built  along  the  extensive  Valley  of  the  Big- 
horn. No  imaginable  route  across  the  National  Park 
<;ould  so  well  subserve  both  local  and  public  interests. 


276  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

From  an  engineering  point  of  view,  the  Yellowstone 
Park  is  poor  railroad  country.  It  could  be  crossed, 
to  be  sure,  but  not  easily,  and  not  at  all  except  by 
monopolizing  portions  of  the  tourist  route.  The  long 
winter  season  of  nearly  seven  months  would  interpose 
an  almost  insuperable  obstacle  to  the  successful  opera- 
tion of  any  line  which  might  be  built.  "We  quote 
again  from  the  report  of  the  Park  Superintendent  for 
the  year  1894 : 

"  The  great  amount  of  moisture  furnished  by  the 
lake  and  its  numerous  tributaries  gives  a  mantle  of 
snow  that  will  average  fifteen  feet  in  depth,  and  with 
the  strong  winds  prevailing  in  this  mountainous  coun- 
try-no railroad  could  be  kept  running  during  the  six 
months  of  winter  without  being  entirely  inclosed  in 
snow  sheds,  which  would  prove  destructive  to  the  nat- 
ural beauty  of  the  Park." 

In  short,  it  is  certain  that,  were  it  not  for  the  special 
inducements  which  a  monopoly  of  Park  travel  offers, 
no  railroad  could  afford  to  locate  its  line  across  that 
territory. 

Closely  related  to  this  general  subject  is  that  of  build- 
ing an  electric  line  for  tourist  transportation  within 
the  Park.  It  is  at  once  apparent  that  the  objections 
to  such  a  railroad  are  much  less  formidable  than  to 
one  operated  by  steam  locomotives.  The  danger  of 
fire  is  eliminated.  The  unsightly  character  of  an  or- 
dinary railway  outfit  is  exchanged  for  attractive  tour- 
ist cars.  The  power  plant,  being  located  in  canons 
and  operated  by  water,  would  give  no  outward  evi- 
dence of  its  existence.  There  being  no  long  trains 
of  cars,  no  smoke,  no  screeching  of  locomotives,  the 
game  would  not  be  much  more  frightened  by  it  than. 


RAILROAD    ENCROACHMENTS,  ETC.  277 

by  the  stage  coaches.  In  winter,  traffic  would  be 
suspended  and  the  game  would  be  undisturbed  on  the 
ranges.  The  line,  by  its  greater  speed,  would  be  a 
convenience  to  tourists  having  but  a  short  time  at 
their  disposal,  and  also  to  those,  infirm  in  health,  who 
find  the  long  stage  rides  fatiguing. 

Such  are  the  merits  of  an  electric  railway  for  tour- 
ist transportation  in  this  country.  If  the  people  really 
desired  it,  and  if  it  could  be  built  and  operated  by  the 
government,  so  as  to  exclude  as  far  as  possible  all  cor- 
porate management  of  Park  business,  there  would  be 
no  serious  objection  to  the  project.  Of  course  it 
should  never  be  permitted,  as  some  times  proposed,  to 
use  the  present  wagon  roads.  These  must  not  in  any 
event  be  interfered  with. 

The  question  then  is,  Do  the  people  desire  this 
kind  of  transportation  ?  Fortunately  we  can  answer 
this  question  with  authority.  In  1892,  a  vote  upon  it 
was  obtained  from  the  tourists  of  that  season.  The 
result  was  a  majority  of  more  than  five  to  one  against 
it.  In  giving  their  votes,  tourists  frequently  went  be- 
yond the  specific  question  at  issue  to  express  their 
emphatic  disapproval  of  the  construction  of  any  kind 
of  railroad  in  the  Park.  The  whole  result  was  a 
gratifying  proof  of  the  deep-seated  interest  of  the 
people  in  this  Reservation,  and  of  their  unalterable 
wish  that  it  remain  forever  free  from  the  handiwork 
of  man.  In  fact,  to  almost  every  body  in  these  days, 
a  coaching  tour  like  that  through  the  Yellowstone,  is 
a  decided  novelty.  There  is  no  other  place  in  this 
country,  probably  not  in  the  world,  where  one  ap- 
proaching it  can  be  had.  The  people  enjoy  it.  They 
wound  prefer  to  see  it  developed  and  perfected,  rather 


278  THE   YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

than  replaced  by  the  noisy  car,  to  get  away  from  which 
they  have  come  so  far. 

In  the  long  and  fruitless  struggle  to  secure  rights- 
of-way  for  railroads,  the  promoters  of  these  projects 
have  resorted  to  various  indirect  methods  the  most 
noteworthy  of  which  is  a  proposal  to  change  the 
boundary  line  of  the  Park.  We  have  elsewhere  ex- 
plained how  this  boundary  was  originally  determined. 
For  a  random  line,  which  of  necessity  it  largely  was, 
it  was  a  most  excellent  one.  JSTo  one  would  have  been 
dissatisfied  with  it  were  it  not  that  it  was  subsequently 
found  to  stand  in  the  way  of  certain  private  enter- 
prises. 

When  it  became  apparent  that  the  government 
would  never  consent  to  the  construction  of  a  railroad 
within  the  Park,  it  was  sought  to  compass  the  same 
end  by  cutting  oft'  all  that  portion  of  the  Reservation 
lying  outside  of,  and  including,  the  proposed  right-of- 
way. 

In  accordance  with  the  proverbial  policy  of  indi- 
rection which  characterizes  schemes  of  this  sort,  the 
real  purpose  of  this  proposition  is  always  veiled  under 
a  beneficent  guise,  intended  to  make  its  promoters 
appear  as  zealous  guardians  of  the  Park,  rather  than 
what  they  really  are — conspirators  for  its  destruction. 
The  proposed  change  of  boundary  is  ostensibly  based 
upon  the  alleged  necessity  of  having  a  natural  bound- 
ary— that  is,  a  boundary  along  the  courses  of  streams. 
The  present  line,  it  is  urged,  is  unmarked  and  no  one 
knows  where  it  is.  A  stream  is  a  definite,  visible  line,, 
seen  and  known  by  every  one.* 


It  is  of  course  unnecessary  to  point  out  that  an  artificial  line 


RAILROAD    ENCROACHMENTS,    ETC.  279 

The  pernicious  fallacy  that  lurks  in  this  argument  is 
plainly  visible  if  we  look  a  little  beneath  the  sur- 
face. Never  permit  the  boundaries  of  the  Yellowstone  Park 
to  be  brought  down  into  the  valleys.  Nature  has  indeed 
built  the  proper  boundaries ;  but  they  are  mountain 
ranges,  not  valleys.  A  thousand  Chinese  walls  heaped 
together  would  not  form  a  barrier  like  the  Absarokas 
on  the  east,  the  Snowy  Range  on  the  north,  the  Gal- 
atin  Range  on  the  west,  and  the  Tetons  and  the  Big 
Game  Ridge  on  the  south.  Along  the  present  bound- 
ary line  there  are  very  few  places  where  it  is  possible 
to  build  human  habitations.  No  poacher  or  law 
breaker  can  there  fix  his  stealthy  abode  ready  at  a 
favorable  opportunity  to  dash  across  it.  But  if  it  were 
in  the  bottom  of  the  valleys,  a  whole  colony  of  these 
dangerous  individuals  would  soon  infest  every  border 
of  the  Park.  Police  surveillance,  in  any  case  ex- 
tremely difficult,  would  then  be  well-nigh  impossible. 
No  !  "Whatever  changes  may  be  made  in  the  bound- 
ary of  the  Park,  let  it  always  be  kept  among  the 
mountain  tops. 

What  the  success  of  any  of  these  projects  to  cut  off, 
or  segregate,  portions  of  the  Park  would  mean,  may  be 
judged  from  a  single  instance — that,  namely,  of  the 
north-east  corner  of  the  Park.  In  this  strip  of  terri- 
tory are  some  of  the  finest  scenery  and  most  interest- 
can  easily  be  marked  so  that  there  shall  be  no  uncertainty  about 
its  location.  The  hollowness  of  purpose  on  the  part  of  those  who 
propose  this  argument  is  disclosed  by  the  fact  that-,  of  the  280 
miles,  more  or  less,  in  the  proposed  boundary,  they  provide  a  nat- 
ural line  for  only  about  50  miles — or  along  that  precise  portion 
where  they  want  to  build  a  railroad.  All  the  rest  of  the  way  an 
artificial  line  is  good  enough  ! 


280  THE    YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK. 

ing  scientific  curiosities  to  be  found  upon  the  Reser- 
vation. It  is  the  great  winter  grazing  ground  for  the 
elk,  and  by  estimate  based  upon  actual  count  no  fewer 
than  20,000  of  these  noble  animals  find  their  winter 
subsistence  here.  That  all  of  this  game  would  be  al- 
most instantly  annihilated  by  the  segregation  of  this 
strip  goes  without  saying.  More  than  this,  the  ad- 
mission to  the  very  heart  of  the  Park  of  that  class 
of  reckless  characters,  who  even  now  are  its  greatest 
source  of  danger,  would  vastly  enhance  the  difficulty 
of  protecting  the  remaining  portions. 

It  is  well  to  emphasize  by  repetition  the  few  im- 
portant facts  pertaining  to  this  question  : 

(1.)  There  are  no  private  interests  on  the  borders 
of  the  Park  whose  development  is  jeopardized  by  the 
refusal  of  the  government  to  give  access  to  them  by 
a  railroad  across  the  Reservation.  They  can  all  be 
reached  from  the  outside  without  encountering  greater 
obstacles  than  have  been  overcome  in  scores  of  other 
places  throughout  the  West. 

(2.)  There  is  no  need  of  a  railroad  in  the  Park  so 
far  as  the  comfort  or  advantage  of  the  tourists  is  con- 
cerned. A  line  along  the  southern  border  would  an- 
swer quite  as  well,  and  would  serve  the  surrounding 
country  better. 

(3.)  There  is  no  occasion  to  construct  an  electric 
line  in  the  Park.  Nearly  all  of  those  who  visit  that 
region  oppose  it. 

(4.)  There  is  no  necessity  for  changing  the  present 
boundaries  of  the  Reservation. 


CONCLUSION.  281 


CHAPTER  III. 

CONCLUSION. 

It  is  in  respect  of  the  foregoing  matters  that  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park  has  most  to  fear.  The 
general  public,  although  always  in  favor  of  its  preser- 
vation, knows  nothing  of  the  merit  of  these  various 
projects.  A  bill  is  introduced  in  Congress  in  the  in- 
terest of  some  private  enterprise.  It  is  supported' by 
representations  and  statistics  gotten  up  for  the  occa- 
sion. There  may  be  no  one  at  hand  to  refute  them, 
and  they  are  the  only  information  upon  which  Con- 
gress can  act.  More  than  once  these  bills  have  been 
reported  favorably  from  committee,  when  every  essen- 
tial statement  in  the  committee's  report  was  contrary 
to  fact.  Unless  some  friend  of  the  Park  is  present, 
ready  and  willing  to  devote  time,  and  perhaps  money, 
to  its'  defense,  there  is  only  too  much  danger  that 
these  measures  will  eventually  prove  successful. 

Thus  far,  the  Park  has  never  been  lacking  in  such 
friends;  and  there  is  no  more  encouraging  fact  in  its 
history  than  this,  that  some  one  has  always  been  on 
guard  against  any  thing  which  might  wTork  to  its  in- 
jury. Men  like  Senator  Vest  in  official  position,  or 
William  Hallett  Phillips  in  private  life,  and  journals 
like  Forest  and  Stream,  have  stood  for  years,  in  a 
purely  public-spirited  manner,  without  remunerative 
inducement  of  any  sort,  and  often  in  face  of  the  bit- 
terest vituperation  and  abuse,  against  the  designs  of 
selfish  and  unscrupulous  schemers.  In  like  manner, 


282  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

government  officials  connected  with  the  Park  have 
always,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  earnestly  opposed 
these  dangerous  projects.  It  is  plain  to  any  one  who 
is  familiar  with  its  inside  history,  that,  but  for  the 
agencies  just  mentioned,  there  would  not  be  to-day 
any  Yellowstone  Park  at  all.  It  is  equally  plain,  that 
so  long  as  friends  like  these  are  forthcoming,  the  Park 
has  little  to  fear  from  its  enemies. 

In  still  another  respect,  the  Park  has  been  unfortu- 
nate where  it  had  a  right  to  expect  better  things. 
Prior  to  the  admission  of  Montana,  Wyoming,  and 
Idaho  into  the  Union  of  States,  its  interests  were 
looked  after  in  Congress,  particularly  in  the  Senate, 
by  a  few  members  who  took  great  pride  in  promot- 
ing its  welfare.  But  when  the  above  territories  were 
admitted  to  the  Union,  these  gentlemen  very  natu- 
rally turned  over  the  charge,  which  they  had  volun- 
tarily assumed,  to  the  members  from  the  new  States, 
as  being  thereafter  its  proper  guardians.  It  was,  of 
course,  believed  that  in  them,  if  in  any  one,  the  Park 
would  find  needed  championship  and  protection.  It 
is  a  matter  of  great  regret  that  these  very  reasonable 
expectations  have  not  been  realized.  A  glance  at  the 
list  of  bills  pertaining  to  the  Yellowstone  National 
Park,  wrhich  have  been  presented  to  Congress  in  the 
past  six  years,  will  show  that  nearly  every  objection- 
able measure  has  been  fathered  by  the  very  men 
whose  first  duty  would  seem  to  have  been  to  oppose 
them.  In  a  speech  opposing  the  Segregation  Project, 
delivered  in  the  Senate  in  the  winter  of  1892-3,  Sen- 
ator Vest  referred  to  this  subject  with  justifiable  indig- 
nation. He  said  : 

"  When  those  States  [Montana,  Wyoming,  and 
Idaho]  were  territories,  and  not  represented  in  the 


CONCLUSION.  283 

Senate,  I  considered  it  the  duty  of  every  Senator,  as 
this  Park  belonged  to  all  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  ...  to  defend  its  integrity,  and  to  keep 
it  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  originally  de- 
signed. Since  Senators  have  come  from  those  States, 
who,  of  course,  must  be  supposed  to  know  more 
about  that  Park  than  those  of  us  who  live  at  a  dis- 
tance, and  since  they  have  manifested  a  disposition  to 
mutilate  it,  I  must  confess  that  my  interest  in  it  has 
rather  flagged,  and  I  feel  very  much  disposed,  in  plain 
language,  to  wash  my  hands  of  the  whole  business. 
If  the  constituencies,  who  are  more  benefited  than 
any  others  can  possibly  be  in  the  Park,  are  willing  to 
see  it  cut  off',  the  best  disposition  of  the  matter  would 
be  to  turn  it  open  to  the  public,  let  the  full  greed  and 
avarice  of  the  country  have  their  scope,  let  the  geysers 
be  divided  out  and  taken  for  the  purpose  of  washing 
clothes,  ...  let  the  water  of  that  splendid  water- 
fall in  the  Yellowstone  River  be  used  to  turn  machin- 
ery, let  the  timber  be  cut  off';  in  other  words,  destroy 
the  Park,'  and  make  it  a  sacrifice  to  the  greed  of  this 
advanced  age  in  which  we  live." 

It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  generally  these  members 
do  not  personally  favor  the  measures  to  which  they 
lend  official  countenance  and  comfort.  One  can  find 
a  practical,  if  not  a  morally  justifiable,  excuse  for  their 
course  in  the  exigencies  of  political  life  which  too  often 
constrain  men  to  official  action  not  in  accordance  with 
their  private  judgment.  Unquestionably,  a  majority 
of  the  people  of  these  young  and  enterprising  states 
are  immovably  opposed  to  any  thing  which  may  tend 
to  mutilate  or  destroy  this  important  reservation  ;  and 
it  is  not  believed  that  their  broader  patriotism  will 


284  THE    YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL    PARK. 

ever  be  overridden  by  the  narrow  and  perverted  wishes 
of  a  few  straggling  constituencies.* 

Finally,  the  effect  of  a  single  evil  precedent  upon 
the  future  of  the  Park  must  be  kept  constantly  in 
mind.  The  door  once  opened,  though  by  never  so 
small  a  degree,  can  not  again  be  closed;  but  will 
sooner  or  later  be  thrown  wide  open.  A  privilege 
granted  to  one  can  not  be  denied  to  another.  If  one 
corner  of  the  Park  is  cut  off,  other  portions  will  share 
the  same  fate.  If  one  railroad  is  granted  a  right  of 
way  across  the  reservation,  another  can  not  be  refused. 
The  only  way  to  avoid  these  dangers  is  to  keep  the 
door  entirely  closed. 

There  is  now  but  little  real  need  of  further  positive 
legislation.  Some  provision  should  of  course  be  made 
for  an  adequate  police  force,  and  ample  means  should 
be  provided  to  perfect  the  system  of  roads.  .  Happily 
this  duty  involves  no  appreciable  burden.  It  requires 
no  continuing  outlay  to  "  beautify  and  adorn."  And 
when  it  is  done,  the  further  policy  of  the  government 
toward  the  Park  should  be  strictly  negative,  designed 
solely  to  preserve  it  unimpaired,  as  its  founders  in- 
tended, for  the  "benefit  and  enjoyment"  of  succeed- 
ing generations. 

*  The  almost  prophetic  warning  of  Captain  Harris  in  his  last 
report  as  Superintendent  of  the  Park  has  a  peculiar  force  in  this 
connection : 

"In  my  experience  in  connection  with  this  National  Park,  1 
have  been  very  forcibly  impressed  with  the  danger  to  which  it  is 
subjected  by  the  greed  of  private  enterprise.  All  local  influence 
centers  in  schemes  whereby  the  Park  can  be  used  for  pecuniary 
advantage.  In  the  unsurpassed  grandeur  of  its  natural  condition, 
it  is  the  pride  and  glory  of  the  nation  ;  but  if,  under  the  guise  of 
improvement,  selfish  interests  are  permitted  to  make  merchandise 
of  its  wonders  and  beauties,  it  will  inevitably  become  a  by-word 
and  a  reproach." 


APPENDIX  A. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  NAMES  IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE 
NATIONAL  PARK. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

In  common  experience,  the  importance  of  geograpnical 
names  lies  in  their  use  as  a  means  of  identification,  To  de- 
scribe an  object  there  must  be  a  name,  and  for  this  purpose 
one  name  is  as  good  as  another.  But  if  the  reason  be  sought 
why  a  particular  name  happened  to  be  selected,  it  will  gener- 
ally be  found  to  arise,  not  from  this  practical  necessity,  but 
from  some  primary  fact  or  tradition,  or  from  some  distin- 
guished character,  in  the  annals  of  the  community  where  it 
occurs.  In  its  mountains  and  valleys,  its  lakes  and  streams, 
and  in  its  civil  divisions,  the  cradle  history  of  a  country  may 
always  be  found  recorded. 

In  newly-discovered  countries,  the  naming  of  geographical 
features  is  the  dearest  prerogative  of  the  explorer,  as  it  is  also 
the  one  most  liable  to  abuse  from  personal  vanity  or  egotism. 
The  desire  to  attach  his  name,  or  those  of  his  personal  friends, 
to  the  prominent  land-marks  of  the  globe,  where  the  eye  of 
posterity  may  never  escape  them,  is  a  weakness  from  which 
no  discoverer  has  yet  shown  himself  free. 

In  a  region  like  the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  destined 
for  all  time  to  be  a  resort  for  the  lovers  of  science  and  pleas- 
ure, this  temptation  was  quite  irresistible  ;  so  much  so,  that, 
when  the  expeditious  of  1870  and  1871  left  the  field,  they 

(285) 


286  APPENDIX   A. 

left  little  worth  naming  behind  them.  And  yet  the  honor 
thus  gained  has  not,  we  venture  to  say,  been  all  that  its  vota- 
ries desired.  Small  is  the  number  of  tourists  who  stop  to  in- 
quire for  whom  Mary  Lake,  DeLacy  Creek,  or  Stevenson 
Island  was  named.  Fewer  still  are  aware  that  Mt.  Everts 
was  not  christened  in  honor  of  a  distinguished  American 
statesman  of  similar  name,  but  in  commemoration  of  one  of 
the  most  thrilling  individual  experiences  in  American  history. 
So  with  all  these  personal  names.  The  lively  satisfaction 
with  wh'ich  they  were  given  finds  no  counterpart  in  the  lan- 
guid indifference  with  which  the  modern  visitor  mechanically 
repeats  them. 

In  as  much  as  it  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  United  States  Geolog- 
ical Survey  to  originate  a  great  many  of  the  names  in  our 
western  geography,  it  is  interesting  to  know  from  official 
sources  the  principles  which  governed  in  this  important  work. 
Writing  upon  this  point,  Dr.  Hayden  says:* 

"In  attaching  names  to  the  many  mountain  peaks,  new 
streams,  and  other  geographical  localities,  the  discovery  of 
whicli  falls  to  the  pleasant  lot  of  the  explorer  in  the  untrod- 
den wilds  of  the  West,  I  have  followed  the  rigid  law  of  pri- 
ority, and  given  the  one  by  which  they  have  been  generally 
known  among  the  people  of  the  country,  whether  whites  or 
Indians ;  but  if,  as  is  often  the  case,  no  suitable  descriptive 
name  can  be  secured  from  the  surroundings,  a  personal  one 
may  then  be  attached,  and  the  names  of  eminent  men  who 
have  identified  themselves  with  the  great  cause,  either  in  the 
fields  of  science  or  legislation,  naturally  rise  first  in  the 
mind." 

In  the  more  recent  and  thorough  survey  of  the  Park  by  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey,  it  became  necessary  to  pro- 
vide names  for  those  subordinate  features  which,  in  a  less  re- 
stricted field,  the  early  explorers  had  thought  unworthy  of 

*Page  8,  Fifth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


INTRODUCTORY.  287 

notice.  Professor  Arnold  Hague,  upon  whom  this  work  has 
principally  fallen,  thus  states  the  rule  which  he  has  followed :  * 

"  In  consultation  with  Mr.  Henry  Gannett,  geologist  in 
charge  of  geography,  it  was  agreed  that  the  necessary  new 
names  to  designate  the  unnamed  mountains,  valleys,  and 
streams  should  be  mainly  selected  from  the  beasts,  birds, 
fishes,  trees,  flowers,  aud  minerals  found  within  the  Park  or 
the  adjacent  country." 

The  christening  of  the  hot  springs  and  geysers  of  the  Park 
has  been  singularly  fortunate.  The  names  are  in  all  cases 
characteristic.  They  are  not  studied  efforts,  but  are  simply 
the  spontaneous  utterances  from  first  impressions  by  those 
who  had  never  seen,  and  had  heard  but  little  of,  similar 
phenomena.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  most  careful  study  could 
improve  them,  aud  tourists  will  agree  with  General  Poe  who 
referred  as  follows  to  this  subject  when  he  visited  the  Park  in 
1877  :f 

"The  region  of  these  geysers  has  been  rightly  named  Fire 
Hole,  and  one  almost  wonders  that  in  this  country,  where  the 
tendency  is  to  name  natural  objects  after  men  who  have  a 
temporary  prominence,  this  interesting  place  and  its  assem- 
blage of  wonders  should  have  so  completely  escaped,  and  in 
general  and  in  particular  received  names  so  very  appro- 
priate." 

In  the  race  for  the  geographical  honors  of  the  Park,  the 
prize  fell  neither  to  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  nor 
even  to  Colonel  Norris,  though  each  was  a  close  competitor. 
It  was  won  by  that  mythical  potentate  of  whose  sulphurous 
empire  this  region  is  thought  by  some  to  be  simply  an  out- 
lying province.  Starting  with  "  Colter's  Hell,"  the  list  grew 
until  it  contained  "Hell  Roaring  Creek,"  "Hell  Broth 

*  Page  152,  Part  I,  Annual  Report  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey for  year  ending  June  30,  1887. 

t  Page  79,  "  Inspection  made  in  the  Summer  of  1877,  etc."  See 
Appendix  E. 


288  APPENDIX  A. 

Springs,"  "Hell's  Half  Acre,"  "Satan's  Arbor,"  and  the 
Devil's  "Den,"  "Workshop,"  "Kitchen,"  "Stairway," 
"  Slide,"  "  Caldron,"  "  Punch  Bowl,"  "  Frying  Pan,"  "  Well," 
"  Elbow,"  "  Thumb,"  "  Inkstand,"  etc.,  etc.  It  is  some  satis- 
faction to  know  that  this  rude  and  fiery  nomenclature  is  grad- 
ually falling  into  disuse. 

In  a  measure  from  sympathy  with  the  purpose  of  the  early 
name-givers,  and  to  help  those  who  take  an  interest  in  such 
matters  to  know  when,  by  whom,  and  why  the  geographical 
names  of  the  Park  were  given,  a  complete  list  of  these  names, 
with  a  few  from  adjacent  territory,  has  been  prepared.  The 
letters  and  numbers  immediately  after  the  names  (except 
those  in  parentheses)  give  marginal  references  on  the  map  to 
facilitate  identification.  The  date  of  christening  and  the 
name  of  the  christening  party  next  follow.  When  these  can 
not  now  be  determined  with  precision,  the  work  is  credited 
to  the  authors  of  the  map  upon  which  they  first  appear. 
Next  comes  whatever  account  is  discoverable  of  the  origin  of 
the  names,  authority  being  quoted,  as  far  as  possible,  from 
the  writings  of  whoever  bestowed  them.  Wherever  an  object 
was  named  from  some  natural  characteristic,  as  its  form,  color, 
composition,  or  other  peculiarity,  or  from  the  birds,  beasts, 
fishes,  insects,  trees,  flowers,  shrubs  or  minerals  of  the  Park, 
the  single  word  "characteristic"  denotes  the  fact.  The  ab- 
breviation "U.  S.  G.  S."  is  for  "United  States  Geological 
Survey." 


MOUNTAIN    RANGES,    ETC.  289 


APPENDIX  A. 


II. 

MOUNTAIN    RANGES,    PEAKS,    BUTTES,    RIDGES,    HILLS. 

[The  numbers  in  parentheses  denote  elevations.  These  are 
taken  from  the  latest  map  by  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey, and  are  the  same  as  that  of  the  one  hundred  foot  contour 
nearest  the  summit.  The  true  elevation  of  the  ultimate  peak  is 
in  each  case  slightly  greater,  lying  somewhere  between  the  figure 
given  and  an  altitude  one  hundred  feet  higher.] 

Abiathar  Peak  (10,800)— C  :  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  8.— For 
Charles  Abiathar  White,  Paleontologist,  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey. 

Absaroka  Range,  A-X :  12-16— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— This  range 
of  mountains  has  had  an  unfortunate  christening  history.  It 
was  first  known  as  the  Yellowstone  Range,  from  its  close  re- 
lation to  the  Yellowstone  River,  of  which  it  is  the  source. 
The  original  name  dates  from  as  far  back  as  1863,  and  was 
adopted  by  the  first  explorers  of  the  Park  country.  It  was 
officially  recognized  in  1871,  by  both  the  Corps  of  Engineers 
and  the  United  States  Geological  Survey.  When  the  Park  was 
created  this  range  became  its  real  eastern  boundary,  and  many 
of  its  peaks  were  named  for  those  who  had  borne  prominent 
parts  in  its  history.  The  name  had  thus  an  added  claim  to 
perpetuity.  It  passed  into  general  use,  and  appears  in  all  the 
writings  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  down  to  1883. 

In  1873,  Captain  W.  A.  Jones,  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers, 
led  an  expedition  through  these  mountains — the  first  that  ever 
crossed  them.  He  gave  them  a  new  name,  "  Sierra  Shoshone." 
Except  for  the  fact  that  he  was  violating  the  rule  of  priority, 


290  APPENDIX    A. 

his  action  in  giving  this  name,  as  well  as  his  judgment  in  its 
selection,  were  of  unquestionable  propriety.  It  was  a  tribe  of 
the  Shoshouean  family  who  alone  dwelt  in  the  Park,  or  among 
these  mountains,  and  it  was  entirely  fitting  to  commemorate 
this  fact  in  a  distinct  and  permanent  manner.  The  name 
passed  rapidly  into  public  use,  and  by  1880  had  practically 
supplanted  the  original  name. 

For  reasons  that  can  hardly  be  made  to  appear  satisfactory, 
the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  in  1883,  or  soon  after, 
rejected  both  these  names  and  adopted  in  their  place  Absaroka, 
"  the  Indian  name  of  the  Crow  nation  "  (Hague).  Of  course 
this  action  can  have  no  pretense  of  justification  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  "  rigid  law  of  priority."  There  are  very  few  in- 
stances in  American  geography  of  a  similar  disregard  for 
the  rights  of  previous  explorers.  Unfortunately,  not  even  the 
argument  of  appropriateness  can  be  urged  in  its  defense. 
These  mountains,  except  that  portion  north  of  the  Park,  were 
never  properly  Crow  territory,  and  the  name  is  thus  distinctly 
an  importation.  Its  future  use  is  now  unhappily  assured  on 
account  of  its  formal  adoption  (for  reasons  wholly  inadequate, 
it  is  true,)  by  the  United  States  Board  on  Geographical 
Names.  Against  the  influence  of  the  government,  with  its 
extensive  series  of  publications,  even  though  committed  to 
the  perpetuation  of  an  error,  it  is  idle  to  contend  ;  but  it  is 
greatly  to  be  deplored  that  a  feature  of  the  Park  scenery  of 
such  co.mmanding  prominence  should  not  bear  a  name  at  least 
remotely  suggestive  of  some  natural  or  historical  association. 

Amethyst  Mountain  (9,423)— F  :  11— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Antler  Peak  (10,200)— E  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Atkins  Peak  (10,900)—  N:  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— For 
John  D.  C.  Atkins,  Indian  Commissioner,  1885-1888. 

Avalanche  Peak  (10,500)— L :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 


MOUNTAIN    RANGES,    ETC, 


291 


•Bannock  Peak  (10,400)— D  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S— From 
the  name  of  a  tribe  of  Indians  who  inhabited  the  country  to 
the  south-west  of  the  Park,  and  were  finally  settled  on  a  res- 
ervation in  southern  Idaho.  What  is  known  as  the  Great 
Bannock  Trail,  passed  along  the  valley  of  Indian  Creek,  some 
distance  south  of  this  mountain.  The  spelling  here  giveu  is 
that  which  custom  seems  finally  to  have  settled  upon ;  but 
Bannack  would  more  nearly  express  the  original  pronuncia- 
tion. The  various  spellings,  some 
sixteen  in  number,  come  from  the 
original  Panai'hti,  or  Bannai'kti, 
meaning  southern  people. 

Barlow  Peak  (9,500)— Q:  10— 
1895— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  Captain 
(now  Colonel)  J.  W.  Barlow,  Corps 
of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A.,  leader  of  the 
military  expedition  which  entered 
the  Park  region  in  1871.  His  name 
was  first  applied  to  the  upper  course 
of  the  Snake  River,  but  was  re- 
cently transferred  to  a  neighboring 
mountain  peak. 

Baronett  Peak  (10,300)—  C :  13— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— For 
C.  J.  Baronett,  "  Yellosvstone  Jack,"  a  famous  scout  and 
guide,  closely  connected  with  the  history  of  the  National 
Park,  and  builder  of  the  first  bridge  across  the  Yellowstone 
River. 

Baronett's  career  was  adventurous  beyond  the  average  man 
of  his  class.  He  was  born  in  Glencoe,  Scotland,  in  1829. 
His  father  was  in  the  British  naval  service,  aud  he  early  be- 
gan to  follow  the  sea.  In  his  multitudinous  wanderings  we 
find  him  on  the  coast  of  Mexico  during  the  Mexican  War; 
on  the  Chinese  coast  in  1850,  where  he  deserted  his  ship  and 
fled  to  San  Francisco ;  in  1852,  in  Australia  after  gold  ;  the 


COLONEL   J.  W.    BARLOW. 


292 


APPENDIX    A. 


next  year  in  Africa,  still  on  a  gold  hunt;  then  in  Australia 
again  and  in  San  Francisco ;  next  in  the  Arctic  seas  as 
second  mate  on  a  whaling  vessel ;  back  in  California  in  1855  ; 
courier  for  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  in  the  Mormon  War; 

later  in  Colorado  and  Califor- 
nia searching  for  gold  ;  scout  in 
the  Confederate  service  until 
1863 ;  then  in  Mexico  with  the 
French  under  Maximilian,  who 
made  him  a  captain  ;  back  in 
California  in  1864,  and  in  Mon- 
tana in  September  of  the  same 
year,  where  he  at  once  set  out 
on  a  prospecting  trip  which 
took  him  entirely  through  the 
region  of  the  Yellowstone  Park ; 
c.  j.  BARONETT.  later  in  the  service  of  Geu.  Cus- 

ter  as  scout  in  the  Indian  terri- 
tory; then  in  Mexico  and  finally  back  in  Montana  in  1870; 
finder  of  the  lost  Everts ;  builder  of  his  celebrated  bridge 
in  1871 ;  in  the  Black  Hills  in  1875,  where  he  slew  a 
local  editor  who  had  unjustly  reflected  upon  him  in  his 
paper;  scout  in  the  Sioux,  Nez  Perce,  and  Bannock  Wars, 
1876-8;  Indian  trader  for  many  years;  engaged  in  innu- 
merable prospecting  ventures ;  and  still,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six,  searching  with  his  old  time  ardor  for  the  elusive 
yellow  metal. 

Big  Game  Ridge— Q-T  :  9-11— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.—  Char- 
acteristic. 

Birch  Hills  (7,300)— R :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Bison  Peak  (8,800)— D:  12— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 


MOUNTAIN    RANGES    ETC.  293 

Bobcat  Rid'je  (9,500)— T:  9— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.—  Charac- 
teristic. 

Bunsen  Peak  (9,100)— D:  6— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  the 
eminent  chemist  and  physicist,  Robert  Wilhelm  Bunsen;  in- 
ventor of  the  Bunsen  electric  cell  and  of  the  Bunsen  Gas 
Burner;  co-discoverer  with  Kirchoff  of  the  principle  of 
Spectrum  Analysis;  and  the  first  thorough  investigator  of 
the  phenomena  of  geyser  action.  (See  Chapter  III, 
Part  II.) 

Cathedral  Peak  (10,600)— J :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Ghittenden,  Mi.  (10,100)— K:  12— 1878— U.  S.  G.  E.— 
"  Of  the  prominent  peaks  of  this  [the  Absaroka]  range  may 
be  mentioned  Mount  Chittenden,  named  for  Mr.  George  B. 
Chitteuden,  whose  name  has  long  been  identified  with  this 
survey." — Gannett.* 

Oinnabar  Mountain  (7,000) — A :  5 — Named  prior  to  1870. 
— "So  named  from  the  color  of  its  rocks,  which  have  been 
mistaken  for  Cinnabar,  although  the  red  color  is  due  to  iron." 
— Hayden.  The  Devil's  Slide  (also  named  before  1870)  is 
on  this  mountain. 

Colter  Peak  (10,500)— O  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— For 
John  Colter.  (See  Part  I,  Chapter  III.) 

Crags,  The  (9,000)— E  :  3— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Crescent  Hill  (7,900)— D  :  9— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Crow  Foot  Ridge  (9,700)— D-E  :  3— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S. 
— Characteristic. 

Doane,  Mt.  (10,500)— M  :  13— 1870— Washburn  Party— 
For  Lieutenant,  Gustavus  C.  Doane,  2d  Cavalry,  U.  S. 
Army,  commander  of  the  military  escort  to  the  celebrated 
Wasburn  Expedition  of  1870. 


*  Page  482,  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


APPENDIX    A. 


CAPTAIN    GUSTAVUS   C.    DOANE. 


Lieutenant  Doane  was  born  in  Illinois,  May  29,  1840,  and 
died  in  Bozeraan,  Mont.,  May  5,  1892.  At  the  age  of  five 
he  went  with  his  parents,  in  wake  of  an  ox  team,  to  Oregon. 

In  1849  his  family  went  to 
California  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  gold  excitement. 
He  remained  there  ten 
years,  in  the  meanwhile 
working  his  way  through 
school.  In  1862  he  en- 
tered the  Union  service, 
went  east  with  the  Cali- 
fornia Hundred,  and  then 
joined  a  Massachusetts  cav- 
alry regiment.  He  was 
mustered  out  in  1865  as  a 
First  Lieutenant.  He  join- 
ed the  Carpet-baggers  and 
is  said  to  have  become  mayor  of  Yazoo  City,  Mississippi. 
He  was  appointed  a  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  Regular  Army 
in  1868,  and  continued  in  the  service  until  his  death,  attain- 
ing the  rank  of  Captain. 

Doane's  whole  career  was  actuated  by  a  love  of  adventure. 
He  had  at  various  times  planned  a  voyage  to  the  Polar  re- 
gions, or  an  expedition  of  discovery  into  Africa.  But  fate 
assigned  him  a  middle  ground,  aud  he  became  prominently 
connected  with  the  discovery  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone  coun- 
try. His  part  in  the  Expedition  of  1870  is  second  to  none. 
He  made  the  first  official  report  upon  the  wonders  of  the 
Yellowstone,  and  his  fine  descriptions  have  never  been  sur- 
passed by  any  subsequent  writer.  Although  suffering  intense 
physical  torture  during  the  greater  portion  of  the  trip,  it  did 
not  extinguish  in  him  the  truly  poetic  ardor  with  which  those 
strange  phenomena  seem  to  have  inspired  him.  Dr.  Hayden 
says  of  this  report:  "I  venture  to  state,  as  my  opinion,  that 


MOUNTAIN   KANGES,    ETC.  295 

for  graphic  description  and  thrilling  interest  it  has  not  been 
surpassed  by  any  official  report  made  to  our  government  since 
the  times  of  Lewis  and  Clark."* 

Lieutenant  Doane  and  Mr.  Langford  were  the  first  white 
men  known  to  have  ascended  any  of  the  higher  peaks  of  the 
Absaroka  Range.  From  the  summit  of  the  mountain  so  as- 
cended, Mr.  Langford  made  the  first  known  authentic  sketch 
of  Yellowstone  Lake.  This  sketch  was  used  soon  after  by 
General  Washburn  iu  compiling  an  official  map  of  that  sec- 
tion of  country,  and  he  was  so  much  pleased  with  it  that  he 
7j  .7-  ..^  n  ^  ""  'A";  'n  frr>m  which  it  was  taken,  Mt.  Langford. 

n.  -  December  14,  1895.      a  neighboring  peak, 


S.  G.  S.-Charac- 
raven  called  upon  Lieut.  Gen.  Philip  H 


'U.  8.  G.  S._Cha, 
the   fa 

.i,.  s.  G.  s._..This 

°f  *e  Earl  of  Du,, 

loiie  80  r"  towf  d 

tter  be  given  him  to  the  commanding  office™  of  cer    across  the  water.  "- 


that  on  his  coming  over  to  OhiVae-o  characteristic  poem. 


S  u.  s.  0.  s.- 


.  to.  IT,  o- — Charac- 
teristic. 


*  Page  8,  Fifth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden.- 
tPage  478,  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


294 


APPENDIX  A. 


Lieutenant  Doane  was  born  in  Illinois,  May  29,  1840,  and 
died  in  Bozeraan,  Mont.,  May  5,  1892.  At  the  age  of  five 
he  went  with  his  parents,  in  wake  of  an  ox  team,  to  Oregon. 

In  1849  his  family  went  to 
California  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  gold  excitement. 
He  remained  there  ten 
years,  in  the  meanwhile 
working  his  way  through 
school.  In  1862  he  eu- 

December  14,  1895. 


mentioned  in  such  a  forcible  manner  by  Ge: 

his  report  as  commanding  General  of  the  Arm'v 

Forts  of  Gen.  Miles  will  doubtless  result  at  least  in 

nmng  being  made  by  Congress  upon  the  per  n" 

-fensive  works  so  urgently  needed  upon  both  th< 

CAPTAIN  GUSTAVUS  c.  DOANE  ntic  and  Pacific  coasts. 


to  have   become   ma^ 

He  was  appointed  a  Second  If    our   exchanges    showing    how    Assistant 

in  1868,  and  continued  in  tlf  War  Doe  got  the  better  of  the  General  in  regar 

ing  the  rank  of  Captain.         le  .latter's  view  that  two  entire  years  of  service 

Doane's  whole  career  was  ,"  ploughs,   must  be  rendered  by  an  enli 

tan  going  up  for  a  commission.   All  the  same   howe 

He  had  at  various  times  plre  notice  that  par.  30.  Army  Regulations/1895 
gions,  or  an  expedition  of  c°w  governs,  directs  that  "an  applicant  will  not  be 
assigned  him  a  middle  grouered  for  the  Preliminary  examinations  unless  it  is 

connected  with  the  discovery ";,??  *h&t>  °D  -th.e  lst  °f  SePtei»ber  next  following, 

J  ill  have  served  honorably  not  less  than  two  years  I 

try.     His  part  in  the  Expensive  of  technical  service  due  to  furlough  or  other 
He  made  the  first  official  r!nce  from  duty  in  his  own  interest" 
Yellowstone,  and  his  fine  d« 
passed  by  any  subsequent  wr 

physical  torture  during  the  y  ,  ,, 

not  extinguish  in  him  the  truly  poetic  ardor  with  which  those 
strange  phenomena  seem  to  have  inspired  him.  Dr.  Hayden 
says  of  this  report:  "  I  venture  to  state,  as  my  opinion,  that 


MOUNTAIN   RANGES,    ETC.  295 

for  graphic  description  and  thrilling  interest  it  has  not  been 
surpassed  by  any  official  report  made  to  our  government  since 
the  times  of  Lewis  and  Clark."* 

Lieutenant  Doane  and  Mr.  Langford  were  the  first  white 
men  known  to  have  ascended  any  of  the  higher  peaks  of  the 
Absaroka  Range.  From  the  summit  of  the  mountain  so  as- 
cended, Mr.  Langford  made  the  first  known  authentic  sketch 
of  Yellowstone  Lake.  This  sketch  was  used  soon  after  by 
General  Washburn  in  compiling  an  official  map  of  that  sec- 
tion of  country,  and  he  was  so  much  pleased  with  it  that  he 
named  the  mountain  from  which  it  was  taken,  Mt.  Langford. 
At  Mr.  Langford's  request,  he  named  a  neighboring  peak, 
Mt.  Doane. 

Dome,  The  (9,900)— E  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Druid  Peak  (9,600)— D  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Dunraven  Peak  (9,700)—  F  :  9— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— "This 
I  have  named  Dunraven  Peak  in  honor  of  the  Earl  of  Dun- 
raven,  whose  travels  and  writings  have  done  so  much  toward 
making  this  region  known  to  our  cousins  across  the  water. "- 
Gannett.f 

Dunraven  visited  the  Park  in  1874.  In  1876,  he  published 
his  "  Great  Divide,"  describing  his  travels  iu  the  West.  The 
irrepressible  Colonel  Norris  named  this  peak  after  himself, 
and  coupled  it  with  Mt.  Washburn  in  a  characteristic  poem. 
But  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  decided  otherwise, 
and  transferred  the  colonel's  name  to  the  north-east  corner 
of  the  Park.  (See  "  Mt.  Norris.") 

Eagle  Peak  (10,800)— O  :  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Echo  Peak  C9.600)— E  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G,  S — Charac- 
teristic. 


*  Page  8,  Fifth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden.- 
t  Page  478,  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


296  APPENDIX    A. 

Electric  Peak  (11,155)— B :  4-5— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.—  From 
the  following  circumstance,  described  by  Mr.  Henry  Gannett, 
who  ascended  the  mountain  with  surveying  instruments,  July 
26,  1872 :  * 

"A  thunder-shower  was  approaching  as  we  neared  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain.  I  was  above  the  others  of  the  party, 
and,  when  about  fifty  feet  below  the  summit,  the  electric  cur- 
rent began  to  pass  through  my  body.  At  first  I  felt  noth- 
ing, but  heard  a  crackling  noise,  similar  to  a  rapid  discharge 
of  sparks  from  a  friction  machine.  Immediately  after,  I 
began  to  feel  a  tingling  or  pricking  sensation  in  my  head  and 
the  ends  of  my  fingers,  which,  as  well  as  the  noise,  increased 
rapidly,  until,  when  I  reached  the  top,  the  noise,  which  had 
not  changed  its  character,  was  deafening,  and  my  hair  stood 
completely  on  end,  while  the  tingling,  pricking  sensation  wa» 
absolutely  painful.  Taking  off  my  hat  partially  relieved  it. 
I  started  down  again,  and  met  the  others  twenty-five  or  thirty 
feet  below  the  summit.  They  were  affected  similarly,  but  in- 
a  less  degree.  One  of  them  attempted  to  go  to  the  top,  but 
had  proceeded  but  a  few  feet  when  he  received  quite  a  severe 
shock,  which  felled  him  as  if  he  had  stumbled.  We  then  re- 
turned down  the  mountain  about  three  hundred  feet,  and  to  this 
point  we  still  heard  and  felt  the  electricity." 

Elephant  Back  (8,600)— J  :  9— 1871— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. "  On  account  of  the  almost  vertical  sides  of  this 
mountain,  and  the  rounded  form  of  the  summit,  it  has  re- 
ceived the  name  of  the  Elephant's  Back." — Hayden.f 

This  name,  as  now  applied,  refers  to  a  different  feature  from 
that  originally  designated  by  it.  Many  years  before  the  Park 
was  discovered,  it  was  used  to  denote  the  long  ridge  of  which 
Mt.  Washburn  is  the  commanding  summit,  and  which  was 
distinctly  visible  from  beyond  the  present  limits  of  the  Parkr 
both  north  and  south.  It  so  appears  upon  Raynolds'  map  of 

*  Page  807,  Sixth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 
TPage  98,  Fifth  Aiinual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


MOUNTAIN    RANGES,    ETC.  297 

1860,  and  was  so  used  by  the  Washburn  Expedition  (1870), 
by  Captain  Barlow  (1871),  and  by  Captain  Jones  (1873). 
The  United  States  Geological  Survey,  however,  in  1871, 
transferred  the  name  to  an  inconspicuous  ridge  more  than 
a  thousand  feet  lower  than  the  surrounding  mountains. 
Whether  the  change  was  made  by  accident  or  design  does 
not  appear.  Captain  Ludlow,  as  late  as  1875,  refers  to  it 
and  deplores  the  fact  that  it  had  taken  place. 

Everts,  3ft.  (7,900)— C  :  7— 1870— Washburn  Party.— For 
Hon.  Truman  C.  Everts,  member  of  the  Expedition  of  1870, 
whose  terrible  experience  is  elsewhere  alluded  to.  The  fol- 
lowing succinct  account  is  from  the  pen  of  Lieutenant  Doane, 
and  is  in  the  main  correct :  * 

"On  the  first  day  of  his  absence,  he  had  left  his  horse  stand- 
ing unfastened,  with  all  his  arms  and  equipments  strapped 
upon  his  saddle ;  the  animal  became  frightened,  ran  away  into 
the  woods,  and  he  was  left  without  even  a  pocket  knife  as  a 
means  of  defense.  Being  very  near-sighted,  and  totally  un- 
used to  traveling  in  a  wild  country  without  guides,  he  became 
completely  bewildered.  He  wandered  down  to  the  Snake 
River  Lake  [Hart  Lake],  where  he  remained  twelve  days, 
sleeping  near  the  hot  springs  to  keep  from  freezing  at  night, 
and  climbing  to  the  summits  each  day  in  the  endeavor  to 
trace  out  his  proper  course.  Here  he  subsisted  on  thistle- 
roots,  boiled  in  the  springs,  and  was  kept  up  a  tree  the  greater 
part  of  one  night  by  a  California  lion.  After  gathering  and 
cooking  a  supply  of  thistle-roots,  he  managed  to  strike  the 
south-west  point  of  the  [Yellowstone]  Lake,  and  followed 
around  the  north  side  to  the  Yellowstone  [River],  finally 
reaching  our  [old]  camp  opposite  the  Grand  Cafion.  He  was 
twelve  days  out  before  he  thought  to  kindle  a  fire  by  using 
the  lenses  of  his  field-glass,  but  afterward  carried  a  burning 
brand  with  him  in  all  his  wanderings.  Herds  of  game 

*  Page  37,  "  Yellowstone  Expedition  of  1870."    See  Appendix  E. 


"298  APPENDIX    A. 

passed  by  him  during  the  night,  on  many  occasions  when  he 
was  on  the  verge  of  starvation.  In  addition  to  a  tolerable 
supply  of  thistle-roots,  he  had  nothing  for  over  thirty  days 
but  a  handful  of  minnows  and  a  couple  of  snow-birds.  Twice 
he  went  five  days  without  food,  and  three  days  without  water, 
in  that  country  which  is  a  net-work  of  streams  and  springs. 
He  was  found  on  the  verge  of  the  great  plateau,  above  the 
mouth  of  Gardiner's  River.  A  heavy  snow-storm  had  extin- 
guished his  fire  ;  his  supply  of  thistle-roots  was  exhausted ; 
he  was  partially  deranged,  and  perishing  with  cold.  A  large 
.lion  was  killed  near  him,  on  the  trail,  which  he  said  had  fol- 
lowed him  at  a  short  distance  for  several  days  previously.  It 
was  a  miraculous  escape,  considering  the  utter  helplessness  of 
the  man,  lost  in  a  forest  wilderness,  and  with  the  storms  of 
winter  at  hand." 

On  the  thirty-seventh  day  of  his  wanderings  (September 
9th  to  October  16th),  he  was  discovered  by  Jack  Baronett 
and  George  A.  Pritchett,  near  the  great  trail  on  a  high  moun- 
tain a  few  miles  west  of  Yancey's.  Baronett  threw  up  a 
mound  of  stones  to  mark  the  spot  He  carried  Everts  in  his 
arms  the  rest  of  that  day,  and  passed  the  night  on  a  small 
tributary  of  Black-tail  Deer  Creek.  The  next  day  he  was 
taken  on  a  saddle  to  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gardiner. 

The  commemoration  of  this  adventure  in  the  naming  of  Mt. 
Everts  was  an  awkward  mischance.  The  mountain  which 
should  bear  the  name  is  Mt.  Sheridan.  It,  was  named  for  Everts 
by  the  Washburn  Party  the  night  before  he  was  lost,  in  recog- 
nition of  his  having  been  the  first  white  man  (except  Mr. 
Hedges,  who  was  with  him)  known  to  have  visited  its  summit. 
In  the  writings  of  the  Washburn  Party  after  their  return,  it 
is  so  used  ;  one  very  interesting  article,  by  Mr.  Hedges,  with 
this  name  as  a  title,  being  published  iu  the  Helena  Herald  be- 
fore it  was  known  that  Mr.  Everts  had  been  found.  But  the 
name,  Mt.  Everts,  was  finally  given  to  the  bmad  plateau  be- 
tween the  Gardiner  and  the  Yellowstone,  a  feature  which  is 


MOUNTAIN    RANGES,   ETC. 


299 


not  a  mountain  at  all,  and  which  is  ten  miles  from  where 
Everts  was  found.  The  actual  locality  of  the  finding  was 
erroneously  supposed  to  be  near  "  Rescue  Creek." 

In  1871,  Captain  Barlow  ascended  the  mountain  which 
should  have  borne  the  name  of  Everts,  and  called  it  Mt. 
Sheridan,  in  ignorance  of  its  former  christening. 

Factory  Hill  (9,500)— O  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.—  The  term 
"  factory"  has  at  various  times  been  applied  to  several  differ- 
ent localities  in  the  Park,  because  of  their  striking  resem- 
blance on  frosty  mornings  to  an  active  factory  town.  The  re- 
semblance was  noted  as  far  back  as  1829.  The  name  has 
now  become  fixed,  as  above  indicated. 

Flat  Mountain  (9,000)— N  :  9— 1871— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic.— This  mountain  had  already  been  named  by  the 
Washburn  Party  Yellow  Mountain,  from  its  color. 

Folsom  Peak  (9,300)— 
E  :  8— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S. 
— For  David  E.  Folsom, 
leader  of  the  Expedition 
•of  1869,  and  author  of  the 
first  general  description  of 
the  valley  of  the  Upper 
Yellowstone. 

Forellen  Peak  (9,700)— 
T  :  5— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S. 
— From  the  German  name 
for  Trout. 

Oallatin  Range — A-F  : 
1-4— Name  in  use  prior  DAVID  E  FOLSOM 

to    1870.      Raynolds    has 

"Mt.  Gallatin"  on  his  map.  Gallatin  River  (see  name) 
rises  in  this  range. 

Garnet  Hill  (7,000)— C  :  9— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 


300  APPENDIX    A. 

Giant  Castle  (10,000)— K  :  14-15— 1873— Jones— Charac- 
teristic. 

Gibbon  Hill  (8,600)— H  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— From  the 
Gibbon  River. 

Gravel  Peak  (9,600)— T  :  11— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Gray  Peak  (10,300)— C-D  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Qrisdy  Peak  (9,700)— L  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Hancock,  Mi.  (10,100)— R  :  10— 1871— Barlow— For  Gen- 
eral W.  S.  Hancock,  U.  S.  Army,  who,  as  commanding  officer 
of  the  Department  of  Dakota,  had  lent  his  active  aid  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  Yellowstone  Explorations. 

Hawk's  Rest  (9,800)— R  :  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Hedges  Peak  (9,500)— G  :  9— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  Cor- 
nelius Hedges,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Washburn  Expe- 
dition, author  of  a  series  of  descriptive  articles  upon  the  trip, 
and  first  to  advance  and  publicly  advocate  the  idea  of  setting 
apart  that  region  as  a  National  Park. 

Holmes,  Mt.  (10,300)— F  :  4— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  W. 
H.  Holmes,  Geologist,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  This  peak 
had  been  previously  called  Mt.  Madison. 

Horseshoe  Hill  (8,200)— E  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Hoyt,  Mt.  (10,400)— L  :  13— 1881— Norris— For  the  Hon. 
John  W.  Hoyt,  then  Governor  of  Wyoming. 

Huckleberry  Mountain  (9,700)— S  :  7— 1885— U.  8.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Humphreys,  Mt.  (11,000)— N  :  14— 1871— Barlow—For 
General  A.  A.  Humphreys,  then  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A. 

Index  Peak  (11,740)— C  :  16— This  mountain,  and  Pilot 
Knob  near  it,  received  their  names  from  unknown  sources 
prior  to  1870. 

"  One  of  them  [the  peaks]  derives  its  name  from  its  shape, 


MOUNTAIN    RANGES,   ETC.  301 

like  a  closed  hand  with  the  index-finger  extending  upward, 
while  the  other  is  visible  from  so  great  a  distance  on  every 
side  that  it  forms  an  excellent  landmark  for  the  wandering 
miner,  and  thus  its  appropriate  name   of   Pilot   Knob."- 
Hayden.* 

Joseph  Peak  (10,300)— C  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  8.— For 
Chief  Joseph,  the  famous  Nez  Perce  leader  in  the  war  of  1877. 
He  deservedly  ranks  among  the  most  noted  of  the  North 
American  Indians.  His  remarkable  conduct  of  the  campaign 
of  1877  and  his  uniform  abstinence  from  those  barbarous 
practices  which  have  always  characterized  Indian  warfare, 
were  a  marvel  to  all  who  were  familiar  with  the  facts.  No 
Indian  chief  ever  commanded  to  such  a  degree  the  respect 
and  even  friendship  of  his  enemies. 

Junction  Butte  (6,500) — D  :  10 — When  or  by  whom  given 
not  known.  The  name  arose,  of  course,  from  the  fact  that 
this  butte  stands  at  the  junction  of  the  two  important  streams, 
the  Yellowstone  and  Lamar  Rivers.  Barlow  records  that  the 
Butte  was  known  as  "Square  Butte"  at  the  time  of  his  visit 
in  1871. 

Lake  Butte  (8,600)— K  :  11— 1878— Characteristic. 

Landmark,  The  (8,800)— F  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Langf&rd,  Mt.  (10,600)— M:  13— 1870— Washburn  Party— 
For  the  Hon.  Nathaniel  Pitt  Langford,  first  Superintendent 
of  the  Yellowstone  National  Park. 

Mr.  Laugford  was  born  August  9,  1832,  in  Westmoreland, 
Oneida  County,  New  York.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  his  education  was  obtained  by  winter  at- 
tendance at  district  school.  At  nineteen,  he  became  clerk  in 
the  Oneida  Bank  of  Utica.  In  1854,  he  went  to  St.  Paul, 
where  we  find  him,  in  1855,  cashier  of  the  banking  house  of 
Marshall  &  Co.,  and  in  1858,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  the  State 


Page  48,  Sixth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


302 


APPENDIX  A. 


of  Minnesota.  In  1862,  he  went  to  Montana  as  second  in, 
command  of  the  Northern  Overland  Expedition,  consisting  of 
130  men  and  53  wagons  drawn  by  oxen.  In  1864,  he  was 

made  Collector  of  Internal 
Revenue  for  the  new  terri- 
tory. In  1868,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  John- 
son Governor  of  Montana, 
but  as  this  was  after  the 
Senate's  imbroglio  with  the 
President  and  its  refusal 
to  confirm  any  more  presi- 
dential appointments,  he 
did  not  reach  this  office. 
He  was  one  of  the  famous 
Montana  Vigilantes,  a 
member  of  the  Yellowstone 
Expedition  of  1870,  and 
first  Superintendent  of  the 
newly  created  Park.  In 
1872,  he  was  appointed  National  Bank  Examiner  for  the 
Pacific  States  and  Territories,  and  held  the  office  for  thir- 
teen years.  He  now  resides  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  He 
is  author  of  a  series  of  articles  in  Scribner's  for  1871,  de- 
scribing the  newly-discovered  wonders  of  the  Yellowstone, 
and  of  the  important  work,  "  Vigilante  Days  and  Ways," 
the  most  complete  history  in  existence  of  that  critical  period 
in  Montana  history. 

The  notable  part  which  Mr.  Langford  bore  in  the  discovery 
of  the  Upper  Yellowstone  country,  and  in  the  creation  of  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  has  beeu  fully  set  forth  elsewhere. 
He  has  always  been  its  ardent  friend,  and  his  enthusiasm  upon 
the  subject  in  the  earlier  days  of  its  history  drew  upon  him 
the  mild  raillery  of  his  friends,  who  were  wont  to  call  him 


NATHANIEL    PITT    LANGFORD. 


MOUNTAIN    RANGES,    ETC. 


303 


"  National  Park  "  Langford— *a  soubriquet  to  which  the  initials 
of  his  real  name  readily  lent  themselves. 

For  the  circumstance  of  naming  Mt.  Langford,  see  "  Mt. 
Doane." 

Mary  Mountain  (8,500) — J  :  7 — Probably  so  named  by 
tourists  from  Mary  Lake,  which  rests  on  the  summit. 

Moran,  Mt.  (12,800)— W  :  5— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.—  For  the 
artist,  Thomas  Morau,  who  produced  the  picture  of  the  Grand 
Canon  now  in  the  Capitol  at  Washington. 

Needles,  The  (9,600)— E  :  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Nvrris,  Mt.  (9,900)— 
E:  13— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S. 
—For  Philetus  W.  Norris, 
second  Superintendent  of 
the  Park,  and  the  most 
conspicuous  figure  in  its 
history. 

He  was  born  at  Palmy- 
ra, New  York,  August  17, 
1821.  At  the  age  of  eight, 
he  was  tourist  guide  at 
Portage  Falls  on  the  Gene- 
see  River,  New  York,  and 
at  seventeen  he  was  in 
Manitoba  in  the  service  of  British  fur  traders.  In  1842,  he 
settled  in  Williams  County,  Ohio,  where  he  founded  the  village 
of  Pioneer.  Between  1850  and  1860  he  visited  the  Far  West. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  he  entered  the  army  and 
served  a  short  time  as  spy  and  captain  of  scouts.  He  was 
then  placed  in  charge  of  Rebel  prisoners  on  Johnson's  Island. 
He  next  entered  politics  as  member  of  the  Ohio  House 
of  Representatives,  but  being  later  defeated  for  the  State 
Senate,  he  joined  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission 


PHILETUS   W.    NORRIS. 


304  APPENDIX    A. 

and  went  again  to  the  front.  He  soon  returned  and  be- 
came trustee  of  certain  landed  property  near  the  City  of 
Detroit  belonging  to  officers  and  soldiers  of  both  armies. 
These  lands  he  reclaimed  at  great  expense  from  their  original 
swampy  condition,  and  built  thereon  the  village  of  Norris,  now 
part  of  Detroit.  In  1770,  he  went  west  again  and  undertook 
to  enter  the  Park  region  in  June  of  that  year,  but  permitted 
the  swollen  condition  of  the  streams  to  defeat  his  project. 
He  thus  missed  the  honor  which  a  few  months  later  fell  to  the 
Washburn  Party — a  misfortune  which  he  never  ceased  to  de- 
plore. In  1875,  he  again  visited  the  Park,  and  in  1877,  be- 
came its  second  Superintendent.  In  1882,  he  returned  to 
Detroit,  after  which  he  was  employed  by  the  government  to 
explore  old  Indian  mounds,  forts,  villages,  and  tombs,  and  to 
collect  relics  for  the  National  Museum.  He  died  at  Rocky 
Hill,  Kentucky,  January  14,  1885.  He  is  author  of  the  fol- 
lowing works :  Five  Annual  Reports  as  Superintendent  of 
the  Park ;  "  The  Calumet  of  the  Coteau,"  a  volume  of  verse, 
with  much  additional  matter  relating  to  the  Park  ;  and  a  long 
series  of  articles  on  "  The  Great  West,"  published  in  the  Nor- 
ris Suburban  in  1876—8. 

The  above  sketch  sufficiently  discloses  the  salient  charac- 
teristic of  Norris'  career.  His  life  was  that  of  the  pioneer, 
and  was  spent  in  dealing  first  blows  in  the  subjugation  of  a 
primeval  wilderness.  He  was  "  blazing  trails,"  literally  and 
figuratively,  all  his  days,  leaving  to  others  the  building  of  the 
finished  highway.  It  is  therefore  not  surprising  that  his  work 
lacks  the  element  of  completeness,  which  comes  only  from 
patient  attention  to  details.  Nowhere  is  this  defect  more  ap- 
parent than  in  his  writings.  A  distinct  literary  talent,  and 
something  of  the  poet's  inspiration,  were,  to  use  his  own 
words,  "well  nigh  strangled"  by  the  "stern  realities  of  bor- 
der life."  His  prose  abounds  in  aggregations  of  more  than 
one  hundred  words  between-  periods,  so  ill  arranged  and  bar- 
barously punctuated  as  utterly  to  bewilder  the  reader.  His 


MOUNTAIN   RANGES,    ETC.  305 

verse — we  have  searched  in  vaiu  for  a  single  quatrain  that 
would  justify  reproduction.  Nevertheless,  his  writings,  like 
his  works,  were  always  to  some  good  purpose.  They  contained 
much  useful  information,  and,  being  widely  read  throughout 
the  West,  had  a  large  and  beneficial  influence. 

Perhaps  no  better  or  more  generous  estimate  of  his  charac- 
ter can  be  found  than  in  the  following  words  of  Mr.  Langford 
who  knew  him  well:  "  He  was  a  good  man,  a  true  man, 
faithful  to  his  friends,  of  very  kind  heart,  grateful  for  kind- 
nesses, of  more  than  ordinary  personal  courage,  rather  vain 
of  his  poetical  genius,  and  fond  of  perpetuating  his  name  in 
prominent  features  of  scenery." 

Concerning  which  last  characteristic  it  may  be  noted  that  three 
mountain  peaks,  one  geyser  basin,  one  pass,  and  an  uncertain 
number  of  other  features  of  the  Park,  were  thought  by  Col- 
onel Norris  deserving  of  this  distinction.  With  inimitable 
fidelity  to  this  trait  of  his  character,  he  had  even  selected  as 
his  final  resting-place  the  beautiful  open  glade  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Grand  Canon,  just  below  the  Lower  Falls. 

Observation  Peak  (9,300)— G  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Obsidian  Cliff  (7,800)— F  :  6— 1878— Norris— Characteris- 
tic. 

Paint  Pot  Hill  (7,900)— H  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Pelican  Cone  (9,580)— I  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Near 
source  of  Pelican  Creek. 

Pilot  Knob  (11,977)— C  :  16— See  "  Index  Peak." 

Pinon  Peak  (9,600)— S  :  10— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Prospect  Peak  (9,300)— D-E  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Pyramid  Peak  (10,300)— J  :  14— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 


306  APPENDIX    A. 

Quadrant  Mountain  (10,200)— D  :  4— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Red  Mountain  Range — P:  7-8 — U.  S.  G.  S. — Characteristic. 

Reservation  Peak  (10,600)— M  :  14— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S. 
- — Characteristic. 

Roaring  Mountain  (8,000)— F  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
"  It  takes  its  name  from  the  shrill,  penetrating  sound  of  the 
steam  constantly  escaping  from  one  or  more  vents  near  the 
summit." — Hague. 

Saddle  Mountain  (11,100)— H  :  15— 1880— Norris— Charac- 
teristic. 

Schurz  ML  (10,900)— N  :  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— For 
Carl  Schurz,  Secretary  of  the  Interior  during  President 
Hayes'  administration.  This  name  was  first  given  by  Colonel 
Norris  to  the  prominent  ridge  on  the  west  side  of  the  Gibbon 
Cafion. 

Sepulcher  Mountain  (9,500)— B-C  :  5-6— The  origin  of  this 
name  is  unknown.  The  following  remarks  concerning  it  are 
from  the  pen  of  Prof.  Wm.  H.  Holmes  :  * 

"  Why  this  mountain  received  such  a  melancholy  appella- 
tion I  have  not  been  able  to  discover.  So  far  as  I  know,  the 
most  important  thing  buried  beneath  its  dark  mass  is  the  se- 
cret of  its  structure.  It  is  possible  that  the  form  suggested 
the  name." 

Sheepeater  Cliffs  (7,500)— D  :  7— 1879— Norris— From  the 
name  of  a  tribe  of  Indians,  the  only  known  aboriginal  occu- 
pants of  what  is  now  the  Yellowstone  Park.  (See  Chapter  II, 
Part  II.)  It  was  upon  one  of  the  "  ancient  and  but  recently 
deserted,  secluded,  unknown  haunts  "of  these  Indians,  that 
Colonel  Norris,  "  in  rapt  astonishment,"  stumbled  one  day,  and 
was  so  impressed  by  what  he  saw,  that  he  gave  the  neighboring 
cliff  its  present  name.  He  thus  describes  this  retreat :  f 


*  Page  15,  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 

t  Page  10,  Annual  Report  Superintendent  of  the  Park  for  1879. 


MOUNTAIN    RANGES,    ETC.  307 

"  It  is  mainly  carpeted  with  soft  grass,  dotted,  fringed,  and 
overhung  with  small  pines,  firs  and  cedars,  and,  with  the  sub- 
dued and  mingled  murmur  of  the  rapids  and  cataracts  above 
and  below  it,  and  the  laughing  ripple  of  the  gliding  stream, 
is  truly  an  enchanting  dell — a  wind  and  storm  sheltered  refuge 
for  the  feeble  remnant  of  a  fading  race." 

Sheridan  Mt.  (10,250)— P  :  8— 1871— Barlow— For  Gen. 
P.  H.  Sheridan,  who  actively  forwarded  all  the  early  ex- 
ploring expeditions  in  this  region,  and,  at  a  later  day,  twice 
visited  the  Park.  His  public  warnings  at  this  time  of  the 
danger  to  which  the  Park  was  exposed  from  vandals,  poachers, 
and  railroad  promoters,  and  his  vigorous  appeal  for  its  pro- 
tection, had  great  influence  in  bringing  about  a  more  efficient 
and  enlightened  policy  in  regard  to  that  reservation.  (See 
"Mt.  Everts.") 

Signal  Hills  (9,500)— M  :  12— 1871— U.  S.  G.  S.— A  ridge 
extending  back  from  Signal  Point  on  the  Yellowstone  Lake. 

Silver  Tip  Peak  (10,400)— K  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Specimen  Ridge  (8,700) — E  :  11— Name  known  prior  to 
1870. — Characteristic.  (See  Chapter  V,  Part  II.) 

Stevenson,  Mt.  (10,300)— M  :  13— 1871— U.  S.  G.  S.— For 
James  Stevenson,  long  prominently  connected  with  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey. 

"  In  honor  of  his  great  services  not  only  during  the  past 
season,  but  for  over  twelve  years  of  unremitting  toil  as  my 
assistant,  oftentimes  without  pecuniary  reward,  and  with  but 
little  of  the  scientific  recognition  that  usually  comes  to  the 
original  explorer,  I  have  desired  that  one  of  the  principal 
islands  of  the  lake  and  one  of  the  noble  peaks  reflected  in  its 
clear  waters  should  bear  his  name  forever." — Hayden.* 

Mr.  Stevenson  was  born  in  Maysville,  Ky.,  December  24, 
1840.  He  early  displayed  a  taste  for  exploration  and  natural 
history,  and  such  reading  as  his  limited  education  permitted 


Page  5,  Fifth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


308  APPENDIX    A. 

was  devoted  to  books  treating  of  these  subjects.  At  the  age 
of  thirteen  he  ran  away  from  home  and  joined  a  party  of 
Hudson's  Bay  Fur  Company's  traders,  bound  up  the  Missouri 

River.  Ou  the  same  boat 
was  Dr.  F.  V.  Hay  den, 
then  on  his  way  to  explore 
the  fossiliferous  region  of 
the  Upper  Missouri  and 
Yellowstone  Rivers.  No- 
ticing Stevenson's  taste  for 
natural  history  he  invited 
him  to  join  him  in  his 
work.  Stevenson  accept- 
ed; and  thus  began  a  re- 
lation which  ed  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  and  which  gave 
JAMES  STEVENSON.  direction  to  the  rest  of  his 

life. 

He  was  engaged  in  several  explorations  between  1850  and 
1860,  connected  with  the  Pacific  railroad  surveys,  and  with 
others  under  Lieutenants  G.  K.  Warren  and  W.  F.  Ray- 
nolds.  In  1861  he  entered  the  Union  service  as  a  private 
soldier,  and  left  it  in  1865  with  an  officer's  commission. 
After  the  war  he  resumed  his  connection  with  Dr.  Hayden. 
He  was  mainly  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories  in  1867, 
and  during  the  next  twelve  years  he  was  constantly  engaged  in 
promoting  its  welfare.  When  the  consolidation  of  the  various 
geographical  and  geological  surveys  took  place  in  1879,  under 
the  name  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  he  became 
associated  with  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Ethnology.  He 
had  always  shown  a  taste  for  ethnological  investigations  and 
his  scientific  work  during  the  rest  of  his  life  was  in  this  direc- 


MOUNTAIN    RANGES,    ETC.  309 

tion,  principally  among  the  races  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 
He  died  in  New  York  City  July  25,  1888. 

In  the  paragraph  quoted  above  from  Dr.  Hayden  there  is 
more  than  any  but  the  few  who  are  familiar  with  the  early 
history  of  the  geological  surveys  will  understand.  It  rarely 
happens  that  a  master  is  so  far  indebted  to  a  servant  for  his 
success,  as  was  true  of  the  relation  of  Dr.  Hayden  and  James 
Stevenson.  Stevenson's  great  talent  lay  in  the  organization 
and  management  of  men.  His  administrative  ability  in  the 
field  was  invaluable  to  the  Survey  of  which  Hayden  was 
chief,  and  his  extraordinary  influence  with  Congressmen  was 
a  vital  element  in  its  early  growth.  His  part  in  the  Yellow- 
stone Explorations  of  1871  and  1872  is  second  to  none  in  im- 
portance. It  will  not  be  forgotten  that  he  was  the  first  to 
build  and  launch  a  boat  upon  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  nor  that 
he,  and  Mr.  Langford  who  was  with  him,  were  the  first  white 
men  to  reach  the  summit  of  the  Grand  Teton. 

Storm  Peak  (9,500)— E  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Survey  Peak  (9,200)— T  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.  This 
mountain  was  a  prominent  signaling  point  for  the  Indians. 
It  was  first  named  Monument  Peak  by  Richard  Leigh  who 
built  a  stone  mound  on  its  summit. 

Table  Mountain  (10,800)— O  :  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Terrace  Mountain  (8,100)— C  :  6— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Teton,  Grand  (13,691) — Not  on  Map. — This  mountain  has 
borne  its  present  name  for  upward  of  four  score  years. 
Through  more  than  half  a  century  it  was  a  cynosure  to  the 
wandering  trapper,  miner  and  explorer.  The  name  has 
passed  into  all  the  literature  of  that  period,  which  will  ever 
remain  one  of  the  most  fascinating  in  our  western  history. 
Indeed,  it  has  become  the  classic  designation  of  the  most  in- 
teresting historic  summit  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  That  it 


310  APPENDIX    A. 

should  always  retain  this  designation  in  memory  of  the  name- 
less pioneers  who  have  been  guided  by  it  across  the  wilder- 
ness, and  thousands  of  whom  have  perished  beneath  its 
shadow,  would  seem  to  be  a  self-evident  proposition.  Individ- 
ual merit,  no  matter  how  great,  can  never  justify  the  usurpa- 
tion of  its  place  by  any  personal  name  whatever.  An  at- 
tempt to  do  this  was  made  in  1872  by  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  who  rechristeued  it  Mt.  Hayden.  The 
new  name  has  never  gained  any  local  standing,  and  although 
it  has  crept  into  many  maps  its  continued  use  ought  to  be  dis- 
couraged. It  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  Dr.  Hayden  that  he 
personally  disapproved  the  change,  so  far  at  least,  as  very 
rarely,  if  ever,  to  refer  to  the  mountain  by  its  new  name. 

Three  Rivers  Peak  (9,900)— E  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Branches  of  the  Madison,  Gallatin  and  Gardiner  Rivers  take 
their  rise  from  its  slopes. 

Thunderer,  The  (10,400)— D  :  14— 1885-U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Seemingly  a  great  focus  for  thunder  storms. 

Top  Notch  Peak  (10,000)— L  :  13— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.- 
Characteristic. 

Trident,  The  (10,000)— Q-R  :  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Trilobiie  Point  (9,900)— F  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Turret  Mountain  (10,400)— P  :  14— 1878— Characteris- 
tic.— Called  by  Captain  Jones  "  Round-head  or  Watch 
Tower." 

Twin  Buttes  (8,400)— K  :  14— 1870— Washburn  Party.— 
Characteristic. 

Waxhburn,  Mt.  (10,000)— F  :  9— 1870— Washburn  Party. 
— For  General  Henry  Dana  Washburn,  chief  of  the  Yellow- 
stone Expedition  of  1870. 

General  Washburn  was  born  in  Windsor,  Vt.,  March  28, 
1832.  His  parents  moved  to  Ohio  during  his  infancy.  He 
received  a  common  school  education  and  at  fourteen  began 


MOUNTAIN   RANGES,   ETC. 


311 


teaching  school.    He  entered  Oberlin  College,  but  did  not  com- 
plete his  course.     At  eighteeu  he  went  to  Indiana  where  he 
resumed  school-teaching.     At  twenty-oue  he  entered  the  New 
York  State  and  National 
Law   School,    from  which 
he  graduated.    At  twenty- 
three  he  was  elected  audi- 
tor of  Vermilion  county, 
Indiana. 

His  war  record  was  a 
highly  honorable  one.  He 
entered  the  army  as  pri- 
vate in  1861  and  left  it 
as  brevet  brigadier-general 
in  1865.  His  service  was 
mainly  identified  with  the 
Eighteenth  Indiana,  of 
which  he  became  colonel. 
He  was  in  several  of  the 
western  campaigns,  nota- 
bly in  that  of  Vicksburg,  in  which  he  bore  a  prominent  part. 
In  the  last  year  of  the  war  he  was  with  Sherman's  army,  and 
for  a  short  time  after  its  close  was  in  command  of  a  military 
district  in  southern  Georgia.  In  1864,  he  was  elected  to 
Congress  over  the  Hon.  Daniel  W.  Voorhees,  and  again,  in 
1866,  over  the  Hon.  Solomon  W.  Claypool.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  his  second  term  he  was  appointed  by  President  Grant, 
surveyor-general  of  Montana,  which  office  he  held  until  his 
death. 

It  was  during  his  residence  in  Montana  that  the  famous 
Yellowstone  Expedition  of  1870  took  place.  His  part  in  that 
important  work  is  perhaps  the  most  notable  feature  of  his  ca- 
reer. As  leader  of  the  expedition  he  won  the  admiration  and 
affection  of  its  members.  He  was  the  first  to  send  to  Wash- 
ington specimens  from  the  geyser  formations.  He  ardently 


GEN.    HENRY    DANA   WASHBURN. 


312  APPENDIX   A. 

espoused  the  project  of  setting  apart  this  region  as  a  public 
park  and  was  on  his  way  to  Washington  in  its  interest  when 
his  career  was  cut  short  by  death.  The  hardship  and  expos- 
ure of  the  expedition  had  precipitated  the  catastrophe  to 
which  he  had  long  been  tending.  He  left  Helena  in  Novem- 
ber, 1870,  and  died  of  consumption  at  his  home  in  Clinton, 
Indiana,  January  26,  1871. 

General  Washburn's  name  was  given  to  this  mountain  by  a 
unanimous  vote  of  the  party  on  the  evening  of  August  28, 
1870,  as  a  result  of  the  following  incident  related  by  Mr. 
Langford : 

"  Our  first  Sunday  in  camp  was  at  Tower  Creek.  The  for- 
est around  us  was  very  dense,  and  we  were  somewhat  at  a  loss 
in  deciding  what  course  we  needed  to  follow  in  order  to  reach 
Yellowstone  Lake.  We  had  that  day  crossed  a  fresh  Indian 
trail,  a  circumstance  which  admonished  us  of  the  necessity  of 
watchfulness  so  as  to  avoid  disaster.  While  we  were  resting 
in  camp,  General  Washburn,  without  our  knowledge,  and  un- 
attended, made  his  way  to  the  mountain,  from  the  summit  of 
which,  overlooking  the  dense  forest  which  environed  us,  he 
saw  Yellowstone  Lake,  our  objective  point,  and  carefully  noted 
its  direction  from  our  camp.  This  intelligence  was  most  joy- 
fully received  by  us,  for  it  relieved  our  minds  of  all  anxiety 
concerning  our  course  of  travel,  and  dispelled  the  fears  of 
some  of  our  party  lest  we  should  become  inextricably  involved 
in  that  wooded  labyrinth." 

White  Peaks  (9,800)— F  :  4— 1895— U.  S.  G.S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Wild  Cat  Peak  (9,800)— T  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Yount  Peak  (Hayden,  11,700;  Hague,  12,250)— Not  on 
map. — 1878 — U.  S.  G.  S. — Source  of  the  Yellowstone. — 
Named  for  an  old  trapper  and  guide  of  that  region. 


STREAMS.  313 


APPENDIX  A. 


III. 

STREAMS. 

[Map  locations  refer  only  to  outlets,  or  to  points  where  streams 
pass  off  the  limits  of  the  map.  Altitudes  refer  to  the  same 
points,  but  are  given  only  in  the  most  important  cases.] 

Agate  Greek— E  :  10— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Alum  Creek — H  :  9 — Name  known  prior  to  1870 — Charac- 
teristic. 

Amethyst  Creek— E  :  12— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Flows  from 
Amethyst  Mountain. 

Amphitheater  Greek— D  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— From  form 
of  valley  near  its  mouth. 

Antelope  Creek— E  :  10— 1870— Washburn  Party— Charac- 
teristic.— This  name  is  often  applied  locally  to  a  tributary  of 
the  Yellowstone  just  above  Trout  Creek. 

Arnica  Greek— L,  :  8 — 1885 — U.  S.  G.  S. — Characteristic. 

Aster  Creek— P  :  7— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Astrigent  Creek— J  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Character- 
istic. 

Atlantic  Creek— S  :  13— 1873— Jones— Flows  from  Two- 
Ocean-Pass  down  the  Atlantic  slope. 

Badger  Greek— P  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Basin  Greek— Q  :  9— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Bear  Creek — B  :  7 — 1863 — Party  of  prospectors  under  one 
Austin.  "  On  the  way  they  found  fair  prospects  in  a  creek 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  finding  also  a  hair- 
less cub,  called  the  gulch  "  Bear." — Topping. 


314  APPENDIX    A. 

Bear  Oreek—K  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.-  -Characteristic. 

Beaver  Creek— O  :  9— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Beaver  Dam  Greek— O  :  12— 1871— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

BecUer  River— R  :  1— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  Gustavus 
R.  Bechler,  topographer  on  the  Snake  River  Division  of  the 
Hayden  Expedition  of  1872. 

Berry  Creek— \3  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Black-tail  Deer  Creek — B  :  8 — Named  prior  to  1870 — Char- 
acteristic. 

Bluff  Creek— ft  :  10— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Bog  Creek— H  :  10— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Boone  Creek — T  :  1 — Named  prior  to  1870 — For  Robert 
Withrow,  an  eccentric  pioneer  of  Irish  descent,  who  used  to 
call  himself  "Daniel  Boone  the  Second." 

Bridge  Creek— K  :  9— 1871— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

"At  one  point,  soon  after  leaving  camp,  we  found  a  most 
singular  natural  bridge  of  the  trachyte,  which  gives  passage 
to  a  small  stream,  which  we  called  Bridge  Creek." — Hayden. 

"Natural  Bridge"  is  really  over  a  branch  of  Bridge 
Creek. 

Broad  Creek — F  :  10 — 1871 — Barlow — Characteristic. 

Buffalo  Creek — D  :  11 — Prior  to  1870 — Naming  party  un- 
known— Characteristic. 

Burnt  Creek— E  :  10— 1885— CJ.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Cache  Creek — F  :  13 — 1863 — Prospecting  party  under  one 
Austin  were  in  camp  on  this  stream  when  they  were  surprised 
by  Indians,  and  all  their  stock  stolen  except  one  or  two  mules. 
Being  unable  to  carry  all  their  baggage  from  this  point,  they 
cached  what  they  could  not  place  on  the  mules,  or  could  not 
themselves  carry.  From  this  circumstance  arose  the  name. 

Calfee  Creek— F  :  13— 1880— Norris— For  H.  B.  Calfee,  a 
photographer  of  note. 

"  Some  seven  miles  above  Cache  Creek  we  passed  the  mouth 
of  another  stream  in  a  deep,  narrow,  timbered  valley,  which. 


STREAMS.  315 

we  named  Calfee  Creek,  after  the  famous  photographer  of  the 
Park.  Five  miles  further  on,  we  reached  the  creek  which 
Miller  recognized  as  the  one  he  descended  in  retreating  from 
the  Indians  in  1870,  and  which,  on  this  account,  we  called 
Miller's  Creek." — .Norris.* 

Canon  Creek— I  :  5— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.—  Characteristic. 

Carnelian  Creek— E  :  9— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Character- 
istic. 

Cascade  Creek— G  :  8— 1870— Washburn  Party— Charac- 
teristic. 

Chalcedony  Creek— E  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  8.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Chipmunk  Creek— O  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Clear  Creek— L,  :  11— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Cliff  Creek— Q, :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Clover  Creek— G  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Cold  Creek— H  :  14— 1885— TJ.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Columbine  Creek— M  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Conant  Creek — T  :  1 — Prior  to  1870 — By  Richard  Leigh 
for  one  All  Conant,  who  went  to  the  mountains  in  1865,  and 
who  came  near  losing  his  life  on  this  stream. 

Cotton  Grass  Creek— H  :  9— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Cougar  Creek— G  :  2— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Coulter  Creek— R  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  John  M. 
Coulter,  botanist  in  the  Hayden  Expedition  of  1872. 

Crawfish  Creek— R  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Character- 
istic. 

Crevice  Creek — C  :  7 — 1867 — Prospecting  party  under  one 
Lou  Anderson. 

"They  found  gold  in  a  crevice  at  the  mouth  of  the  first 
Stream  above  Bear,  and  named  it,  in  consequence,  Crevice 


*  Page  7,  Annual  Report  Superintendent  of  the  Park  for  1880. 


316  APPENDIX    A. 

Gulch.  Hubbel  went  ahead  the  next  day  for  a  hunt,  and 
upon  his  return  he  was  asked  what  kind  of  a  stream  the  next 
creek  was.  "  It's  a  hell  roarer,"  was  his  reply,  and  Hell 
Roaring  is  its  name  to  this  day.  The  second  day  after  this, 
he  was  again  ahead,  and,  the  same  question  being  asked  him, 
he  said  :  "  T  was  but  a  slough."  When  the  party  came  to  it, 
they  found  a  rushing  torrent,  and,  in  crossing,  a  pack  horse 
and  his  load  were  swept  away,  but  the  name  of  Slough  Creek 
remains." — Topping. 

Crooked  Creek— U  :  10— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Crow  Creek— K  :  15— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Crystal  Greek— D  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Oub  Greek— L  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Deep  Creek — E  :  10 — 1873 — Jones — Characteristic. 

De  Lacy  Creek— M  :  6— 1880— Norris— For  Walter  W.  De 
Lacy,  first  white  man  known  to  have  passed  along  the  valley. 
(See  "Shoshone  Lake.")  First  named  Madison  Creek  by 
the  Hayden  party  in  1871. 

Duck  Creek— G  :  3— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Elk  Creek — D  :  9 — Named  prior  to  1870 — Characteristic. 

Elk  Tongue  Creek— C  :  12— U.  S.  G.  S.—  Characteristic. 

Escarpment  Creek— Q  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Fairy  Creek— J  :  4— 1871— Barlow— From  "Fairy  Falls," 
which  see. 

Falcon  Greek— R  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 
•  Falls  River— S  :  1— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Fan  Creek— C  :  2— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Fawn  Creek— G  :  5— 1873— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Firehole  River — I  :  4 — This  name  and  "  Burnt  Hole  "  have 
been  used  to  designate  the  geyser  basins  and  the  stream  flow- 
ing through  them  since  at  least  as  far  back  as  1830.  Captain 
Bonueville  says  it  was  well  known  to  his  men.  The  term 
"  Hole  "  is  a  relic  of  the  early  days  when  the  open  valleys  or 
parks  among  the  mountains  were  called  "  holes."  The  de- 


STREAMS.  317 

scriptive  "fire,  naturally  arose  from  the  peculiar  character 
of  that  region." 

Firehok,  Little— L  :  4— 1878— U.  S.  G.  8.— From  maiiv 
stream. 

Flint  Creek— F  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Forest  Creek— Q  :  7— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Fox  Greek— R  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Gallatin  River — A  :  1 — 1805— Lewis  and  Clark — For  Al- 
bert Gallatin,  Secretary  of  War  under  President  Jefferson. 

Gardiner  River  (5360) — B  :  6 — This  name,  which,  after 
"Yellowstone,"  is  the  most  familiar  and  important  name  in  the 
Park,  is  the  most  difficult  to  account  for.  The  first  authentic 
use  of  the  name  occurs  in  1870,  in  the  writings  of  the  Washburn 
party.  In  Mr.  Langford's  journal,  kept  during  the  expedi- 
tion, is  the  following  entry  for  August  25,  1870  :  "At  nine- 
teen miles  from  our  morning  camp  we  came  to  Gardiner  River, 
at  the  mouth  of  which  we  camped."  As  the  party  did  not 
originate  the  name,  and  as  they  make  no  special  reference  to 
it  in  any  of  their  writings,  it  seems  clear  that  it  must  already 
have  been  known  to  them  at  the  time  of  their  arrival  at  the 
stream.  None  of  the  surviving  members  has  the  least  recol- 
lection concerning  it.  The  stream  had  been  known  to  pros- 
pectors during  the  preceding  few  years  as  Warm  Spring 
Creek,  and  the  many  "  old  timers"  consulted  on  the  subject 
erroneously  think  that  the  present  name  was  given  by  the 
Washburn  Party  or  by  the  Hayden  Party  of  1871.  What 
is  its  real  origin  is  therefore  a  good  deal  of  a  mystery. 

The  only  clue,  and  that  not  a  satisfactory  one,  which  has 
come  under  our  observation,  is  to  be  found  in  the  book  "  River 
of  the  West,"  already  quoted.  Reference  is  there  made  to  a 
trapper  by  the  name  of  Gardiner,  who  lived  in  the  Upper 
Yellowstone  country  as  far  back  aa  1830,  and  was  at  one  time- 
a  companion  of  Joseph  Meek,  the  hero  of  the  book.  In  an- 
other place  it  is  stated  that  in  1838,  Meek  started  alone  from 
Missouri  Lake  (probably  Red  Rock  Lake)  "  for  the  Gallatin, 


318  APPENDIX    A. 

Fork  of  the  Missouri,  trapping  in  a  mountain  basin  called 
Gardiner's  Hole.  .  .  .  On  his  return,  in  another  basin 
called  Burnt  Hole,  he  found  a  buffalo  skull,  etc."  As  is  well 
known,  the  sources  of  the  Gallatiu  and  Gardiner  are  interlaced 
with  each  other,  and  this  reference  strongly  points  to  the  pres- 
ent Gardiner  Valley  as  "  Gardiner's  Hole."  The  route  across 
the  Gallatin  Range  to  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  and  thence 
back  by  way  of  the  Firehole  Basin,  was  doubtless  a  natural 
one  then  as  it  is  now.  It  is  therefore  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  this  name  came  from  an  old  hunter  in  the  early  years  of 
the  century,  and  that  the  Washburn  Party  received  it  from 
some  surviving  descendant  of  those  times. 

Geode  Creek— C  :  8— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Geyser  Creek— -H  :  6— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Gibbon  River— I  :  4— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  Gen.  John 
Gibbon,  U.  S.  A.,  who  first  explored  it. 

"We  have  named  this  stream  in  honor  of  Gen.  John  Gib- 
bon, United  States  Army,  who  has  been  in  military  command 
of  Montana  for  some  years,  and  has,  on  many  occasions,  ren- 
dered the  survey  most  important  services." — Hayden.* 

Glade  Greek— S  :.6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Glen  Creek— C  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Gneiss  Creek— G  :  1— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Gravel  Creek— U  :  10— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Grayling  Creek— -F  :  1— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Grouse  Creek— O  :  10— 1885-U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

HarebeU  Creek— R  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Hart  River— Q  :  9— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— From  Hart  Lake, 
of  which  it  is  the  outlet.  (See  "  Hart  Lake.") 

Hell  Roaring  Creek— C  :  9—1867—"  See  Crevice  Creek." 

Indian  Greek— -E  :  6— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— See  "Bannock 
Peak." 

Iron  Greek— L  :  4— 1871— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Jasper  Creek— D  :  11 — 1885 — U.  S.  G.  S. — Characteristic. 


*  Page  55,  Sixth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


STREAMS.  319 

Jay  Creek— S  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Jones  Creek — K  :  15 — 1880 — Norris — For  Captain  (now 
Lieutenant-Colonel)  W.  A.  Jones,  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S. 
A.,  who  first  explored  it.  Captain  Jones  was  leader  of  an  im- 
portant expedition  through  the  Park  in  1873,  and  has  since 
been  largely  identified  with  the  development  of  the  Park  road 
system. 

Juniper  Creek — J  :  6 — 1885 — U.  S.  G.  S. — Characteristic. 

Lamar  River  (5,970)— D  :  10— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— For 
the  Hon.  L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  Secretary  of  the  Interior  during 
the  first  administration  of  President  Cleveland.  The  stream 
is  locally  known  only  by  its  original  designation,  the  "  East 
Fork  of  the  Yellowstone." 

Lava  Creek — D  :  7 — 1885 — U.  S.  G.  S. — Characteristic. 

Lewis  JftiKT— R  :  7— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— From  "Lewis 
Lake,"  which  see. 

Lizard  Creek— \J  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Lost  Greek— D  :  9— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Lupine  Creek — D  :  7 — 1885 — U.  S.  G.  S. — Characteristic. 

Lynx  Creek— Q  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Madixon  River — G :  1 — 1805 — Lewis  and  Clark — For  James 
Madison,  Secretary  of  State  to  Thomas  Jefferson. 

Magpie  Ci-erk—J  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Maple  Creek— G  :  2— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Mason  Creek — L  :  16 — 1881 — Norris — For  Major  Julius  W. 
Mason,  U.  S.  A.,  commander  of  escort  to  Gov.  Hoyt,  of  Wy- 
oming, on  the  latter's  reconnaissance  for  a  wagon  road  to  the 
Park  in  1881. 

Meadow  Creek— M  :  11— 1885— U.  8.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Middle  Creek— L, :  15— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Miller  Creek — G  :  13 — 1880 — Norris — For  a  mountaineer 
named  Miller.  See  "  Calfee  Creek." 

Mink  Creek— T  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Mist  Creek— I  :  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Moose  Creek— N  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 


320  APPENDIX    A. 

Moss  Greek— G  :  10— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Mountain  Creek— P  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G'.  S.— Character- 
istic. 

Mountain  Ash  Creek— R  :  3— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Nez  Perce  Creek  (7,237)— J  :  4— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— The 
Nez  Perce  Indians  passed  up  this  stream  on  their  raid  through 
the  Park  in  1877.  It  had  previously  been  called  "  East  Fork 
of  the  Firehole."  Prof.  Bradley,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey,  christened  it  Hayden's  Fork  in  1872.  (See  Chapter 
XIII,  Part  I.) 

Obsidian  Creek — E  :  6 — 1879 — Norris — Characteristic. 

Opal  Creek.— E  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.- -Characteristic. 

Otter  Creek— H  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Outlet  Creek— P  :  9— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Owl  Creek— T  :  5— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Pacific  Creek— W  :  11— 1873— Jones— Flows  from  Two- 
Ocean  Pass  down  the  Pacific  slope. 

Panther  Creek— D  :  5— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Pebble  Creek— D  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Pelican  Creek — K  :  10 — Probably  named  by  the  Wash  burn 
Party  in  1870.  Hayden  and  Barlow,  in  1871,  use  the  name  as 
though  it  were  already  a  fixture.  Mr.  Hedges  says  of  this 
stream : 

"About  the  mouth  of  the  little  stream  that  we  had  just 
crossed  were  numerous  shallows  and  bars,  which  were  cov- 
ered by  the  acre  with  ducks,  geese,  huge  white-breasted 
cranes,  and  long-beaked  pelicans,  while  the  solitary  albatross, 
or  sea-gull,  circled  above  our  heads  with  a  saucy  look  that 
drew  many  a  random  shot,  and  cost  one,  at  least,  its  life." 

Phlox  Creek— Q  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Plateau  Creek— C  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Polecat  Creek— S  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Quartz  Creek— E  :  10— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Rabbit  Creek— K  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 


STREAMS.  321 

Raven  Creek— J  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Red  Creek— Q  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Rescue  Creek— G  :  7— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Where  Everts 
was  not  found.  (See  "  Mt.  Everts.") 

Rocky  Creek— O  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Rose  Creek— T> :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Sedge  Creek— K  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Senecio  Creek— S  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Sentinel  Creek— J  :  4— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— "The  two  cen- 
tral ones  [geyser  mounds]  are  the  highest,  and  appear  so  much 
as  if  they  were  guarding  the  Upper  Valley,  that  this  stream 
was  called  Sentinel  Branch."  Bradley. 

Shallow  Creek— F  :  11— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Sickle  Creek— Q  :  10— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Slough  Creek— D  :  10— 1867— See  "Crevice  Creek." 

Snake  River  (6,808)— W  :  8— 1805— Lewis  and  Clark— 
From  the  Snake  or  Shoshone  Indians,  who  dwelt  in  its 
valley. 

Soda  Butte  Creek — E  :  12 — Probably  named  by  miners 
prior  to  1870.  From  an  extinct  geyser  or  hot  spring  cone 
near  the  mouth  of  the  stream. 

Solfatara  Creek— G  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Solution  Creek— M  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— The  outlet  of 
Riddle  Lake. 

Sour  Creek — H  :  9 — 1871 — Barlow — Characteristic. 

Spirea  Creek— E, :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Spring  Creek— M  :  5— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Spruce  Creek— J  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S. —Characteristic. 

Squirrel  Creek— -N  :  5— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Stellaria  Creek— G  :  3— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Stinkingwater  River — L  :  16 — 1807 — John  Colter — From 
an  offensive  hot  spring  near  the  junction  of  the  principal  forks 
of  the  stream.  A  most  interesting  fact,  to  which  attention 
was  first  publicly  called  by  Prof.  Arnold  Hague,  is  the  occur- 
rence on  the  map,  which  Lewis  and  Clark  sent  to  President 


322  APPENDIX    A. 

Jefferson  in  the  spring  of  1805,  of  the  name  "  Stinking  Cabiu 
Creek,"  very  nearly  in  the  locality  of  the  river  Stinkingwater. 
Prof.  Hague,  who  published  an  interesting  paper  concerning 
this  map  iu  Science  for  November  4,  1877,  thinks  that  pos- 
sibly some  trapper  had  penetrated  this  region  even  before 
1804.  But  with  Lewis  aud  Clark's  repeated  statements  that 
no  white  man  had  reached  the  Yellowstone  prior  to  1805,  it 
seems  more  likely  that  the  name  was  derived  from  the  In- 
dians. 

Straight  Creek— E  :  5— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.—  Characteristic. 

Sulphur  Creek— G :  9— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic.— 
Locally  this  name  is  applied  to  a  stream  which  flows  from  the 
hot  springs  at  the  base  of  Sulphur  Mountain. 

Surface  Creek— G  :  9— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Surprise  Creek — P  :  9 — 1885— U.  S.  G.  S. — Its  course,  as 
made  known  by  recent  explorations,  was  surprisingly  different 
from  that  which  earlier  explorations  had  indicated. 

Tangled  Creek— J :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic.— 
A  hot  water  stream  which  flows  iu  numberless  interlaced 
channels. 

Thistle  Greek— J  :  10— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

TJioroughfare  Creek— R  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Its  valley 
forms  part  of  a  very  practicable  route  across  the  Yellowstone 
Range. 

Timothy  Creek— G  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Tower  Creek— D  :  10— 1870— Washburn  Party— From 
"  Tower  Falls,"  which  see. 

Trail  Creek— O  :  12— 1873— Jones— From  an  elk  trail 
along  it. 

Trappers'  Creek— P  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— A  great 
beaver  resort. 

Trout  Creek— I  :  9— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Violet  Creek— 1 :  8— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic.— 
"  We  named  the  small  stream  Violet  Creek,  from  the  pro- 
fusion of  violets  growing  upon  its  banks."  Peale. 


STREAMS.  323 

Weatel  Creek— K  :  9— 1895— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Willow  Creek— H  :  14— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S. —Characteristic. 

Winter  Creek— E  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Witch  Creek— O  •  8— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Probably  from 
the  prevalence  of  hot  springs  phenomena  along  its  entire 
course. 

Wolverine  Creek— R  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Character- 
istic. 

Yellowstone  River  (8,100  and  5,360)— U  :  16  (enters  map)  ; 
A  :  5  (leaves  map). — See  Part  I,  Chapter  I. 


324  WATER-FALLS. 


APPENDIX  A. 


IV. 

WATER-FALLS. 

[Figures  in  parentheses  indicate  approximate  heights  of  falls  in  feet. 
These  in  most  cases  are  not  to  be  relied  upon  as  strictly  ac- 
curate, there  having  been  no  published  record  of  actual  meas- 
urements, except  in  the  case  of  the  Yellowstone  Falls.] 

CoUonade  Falls— P  :  3— 1885— U.  S.  G.  8.—  Characteristic. 

Crystal  Falls  (129)— G  :  8— 1870— Washburn  Party.— 
Characteristic. — The  total  fall  includes  three  cascades. 

Fairy  Fall  (250)— K  :  4— 1871— Barlow.— -Characteristic. 

Firehole  Falls  (60) — I  :  4 — Takes  name  from  river. 

Gibbon  Falls  (80) — I  :  5 — Takes  name  from  river. 

Iris  FaUs—P  :  3— 1885— U.  S.  G.  8.— Characteristic. 

Kepler  Cascade  (80) — L  :  5 — 1881 — Norris. — For  the  SOD 
of  Hon.  John  W.  Hoyt,  Ex-Governor  of  Wyoming,  who  ac- 
companied his  father  on  a  reconnaissance  for  a  wagon  road  to 
the  Park  in  1881.  Norris  speaks  of  him  as  "  an  intrepid 
twelve-year  old  "  boy  who  "  unflinchingly  shared  in  all  the 
hardships,  privations,  and  dangers  of  the  explorations  of  his 
father,"  which  included  many  hundred  miles  of  travel  on 
horseback  through  that  difficult  country ;  and  in  admiration 
for  the  lad's  pluck,  he  named  this  cascade  in  his  honor. 

Lewis  Falls,  Upper  (80) — P  :  7 — Takes  name  from  river. 

Lewis  Falls,  Lower  (50) — Q  :  7 — -Takes  name  from  river. 

Moose  Falls— R  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Mystic  Falls— L  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 


WATER-FALLS.  325 

Osprey  Falls  (150)— D  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S. 

Ouzel  Falls— P  :  3— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Characteristic. 

Rainbow  Falls  (140)— R  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic.— Height  includes  total  of  three  falls. 

Rustic   Falls  (70)— D  :  6— 1878— Norris— Characteristic. 

Silver  Cord  Cascade— G  :  9— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Terraced  Falls— R  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— -Characteristic. 

Tower  Falls  (132)— D  :  10— 1870— Wash  burn  Party- 
Characteristic. 

"By  a  vote  of  a  majority  of  the  party  this  fall  was  called 
Tower  Fall."— Washburn. 

"At  the  crest  of  the  fall  the  stream  has  cut  its  way  through 
amygdaloid  masses,  leaving  tall  spires  of  rock  from  50  to  100 
feet  in  height,  and  worn  in  every  conceivable  shape.  .  .  . 
•Several  of  them  stand  like  sentinels  on  the  very  brink  of  the 
fall."— Doane. 

Undine  FaUs  (60)— D  :  7— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Union  Falls — Q  :  4 — 1885 — U.  S.  G.  S. —Characteristic. 

Virginia  Cascade  (60)— H  :  7— 1886— By  E.  Lamartine, 
at  that  time  foreman  in  charge  of  government  work  in  Park. 
— For  the  wife  of  the  Hon.  Chas.  Gibson,  President  of  the 
Yellowstone  Park  Association. 

Wraith  FaUs  (100)— D  :  7— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Yellowstone  Falls  (Upper  112;  Lower  310)— H  :  9— From 
the  river  which  flows  over  them.* 


*  Record  of  the  various  measurements  of  the  Upper  and  Lower 
Falls  of  the  Yellowstone  River. 

Folsom  (1869)  Upper  Fall,  115  feet.     Method  not  stated. 
Lower  Fall,  350  feet.     Method  not  stated. 

Doane  (1870)  Upper  Fall,  115  feet.    Line. 

Langford  (1870)  Lower  Fall,  350  feet.     Line  stretched  on  an  in- 
-line. 


326  APPENDIX    A. 

Moore's  Sketch  (1870)  Lower  Fall,  365  feet.  Method  not 
stated. 

Hayden  (1871)  Upper  Fall,  140  feet.     Method  not  stated. 
Lower  Fall,  350  feet.    Method  not  stated. 
Gannett  (1872)  Upper  Fall,  140  feet.     Barometer. 

Lower  Fall,  395  feet.   Comparison  of  angles  sub- 
tended by  Falls  and  by  a  tree  of  known  height. 
Jones  (1873)  Upper  Fall,  150  feet.    Barometer. 
Lower  Fall,  329  feet.    Barometer. 
Ludlow  (1875)  Upper  Fall,  110  feet.    Line. 
Lower  Fall,  310  feet.    Line. 
Gannet  (1878)  Upper  Fall,  112  feet.    Line. 

Lower  Fall,  297  feet.  Line  stretched  on  an  incline. 
U.  S.  G.  S.  (Recent)  Upper  Fall,  109  feet.    Method  not  stated. 

Lower  Fall,  308  feet.    Method  not  stated. 

Chittenden  (1892)  Upper  Fall,  112  feet  between  point  of  first 
descent  and  level  of  pool  below.  Measured  by  means  of  a  transit 
instrument.  Width  of  gorge  at  brink  of  fall,  and  a  few  feet  above 
water  surface,  48  feet. 


LAKES. 


327 


APPENDIX  A. 


V. 


LAKES. 

[Figures  in  parentheses  denote  elevations.] 

Beach  Lake  (8,150)— K  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  8.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Beaver  Lake  (7,415) — F  :  6 — 1879 — Norris— Characteristic. 

Beula  Lake  (7,530)— R  :  5— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Bridger  Lake  (7,900) — R  :  13 — Name  a  fixture  prior  to 
1870. — For  James  Bridger,  the  Daniel  Boone  of  the  Rockies, 


JAMES     nRTTIfJER. 


328  APPENDIX    A. 

and  one  of  the  most  remarkable  products  of  the  trapping  and 
gold-seeking  eras. 

He  was  born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  in  March,  1804,  and  died 
in  Washington,  Jackson  Co.,  Mo.,  July  17,  1881.  He 
must  have  gone  west  at  a  very  early  age  for  he  is  known  to 
have  been  in  the  mountains  in  1820.  Niles  Register  for  1822 
speaks  of  him  as  associated  with  Fitzpatrick  in  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Fur  Company.  Another  record  of  this  period  re- 
veals him  as  leader  of  a  band  of  whites  sent  to  retake  stolen 
horses  from  the  hostile  Bannocks.  In  1832,  he  had  become  a 
resident  partner  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company. 
That  he  was  a  recognized  leader  among  the  early  mountaineers 
while  yet  in  his  minority  seems  beyond  question.  He  be- 
came "  The  Old  Man  of  the  Mountains"  before  he  was  thirty 
years  of  age. 

Among  the  more  prominent  achievements  of  Bridger's  life 
may  be  noted  the  following:  He  was  long  a  leading  spirit  in 
the  great  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company.  He  discovered 
Great  Salt  Lake  and  the  noted  Pass  that  bears  his  name. 
He  built  Fort  Bridger  in  the  lovely  valley  of  Black  Fork  of 
Green  River,  where  transpired  many  thrilling  events  con- 
nected with  the  history  of  the  Mormons  and  "  Forty-niners." 
He  had  explored,  and  could  accurately  describe,  the  wonders 
of  the  Yellowstone  fully  a  quarter  of  a  century  before  their 
final  discovery. 

In  person  he  was  tall  and  spare,  straight  and  agile,  eyes 
gray,  hair  brown  and  long,  and  abundant  even  in  old  age; 
expression  mild,  and  manners  agreeable.  He  was  hospitable 
and  generous,  and  was  always  trusted  and  respected.  He 
possessed  to  a  high  degree  the  confidence  of  the  Indians,  one 
of  whom,  a  Shoshone  woman,  he  made  his  wife. 

Unquestionably  Bridger's  chief  claim  to  remembrance  by 
prosterity  rests  upon  the  extraordinary  part  he  bore  in  the  ex- 
ploration of  the  West.  The  common  verdict  of  his  many  em- 
ployers, from  Robert  Campbell  down  to  Captain  Raynolds,  is 


LAKES.  329 

that  as  a  guide  he  was  without  an  equal.  He  was  a  born 
topographer.  The  whole  West  was  mapped  out  in  his  mind 
as  in  an  exhaustive  atlas.  Such  was  his  instinctive  sense  of 
locality  and  direction  that  it  used  to  be  said  that  he  could 
"  smell  his  way  "  where  he  could  not  see  it.  He  was  not  only 
a  good  topographer  in  the  field,  but  he  could  reproduce  his 
impressions  in  sketches.  "  With  a  buffalo  skin  and  a  piece  of 
charcoal,"  says  Captain  Gunnison,  "  he  will  map  out  any  por- 
tion of  this  immense  region,  and  delineate  mountains,  streams, 
and  the  circular  valleys,  called  '  holes,'  with  wonderful  ac- 
curacy." His  ability  in  this  line  caused  him  always  to  be  in 
demand  as  guide  to  exploring  parties,  and  his  name  is  con- 
nected with  scores  of  prominent  government  and  private  ex- 
peditions. 

His  lifetime  measures  that  period  of  our  history  during 
which  the  West  was  changed  from  a  trackless  wilderness  to 
a  settled  and  civilized  country.  He  was  among  the  first  who 
went  to  the  mountains,  and  he  lived  to  see  all  that  had  made 
a  life  like  his  possible  swept  away  forever.  His  name  sur- 
vives in  many  a  feature  of  our  western  geography,  but  in 
none  with  greater  honor  than  in  this  little  lake  among  the 
mountains  that  he  knew  so  well ;  and  near  the  source  of  that 
majestic  stream  with  which  so  much  of  his  eventful  life  was 
identified. 

Delusion  Lake  (7,850)— M  :  9— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— This 
lake  was  long  supposed  to  be  an  arm  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake, 
and,  in  the  fanciful  comparison  of  the  main  lake  to  the  for.rn 
of  the  human  hand,  occupied  the  position  of  the  index  finger. 
The  delusion  consisted  in  this  mistaken  notion  of  a  permanent 
connection  between  the  two  lakes. 

Dryad  Lake  (8,250)— K  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Duck  Lake  (7,850)— M  :  7— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 


330  APPENDIX   A. 

Fern  Lake  (8,150)— H  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.—  Charac- 
teristic. 

Frost  Lake — (7,350) — I  :  14 — Unknown — Characteristic. 

Gallatin  Lake  (9,000)— E  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Source 
of  the  Gallatiu  River. 

Goose  Lake  (7,100)— K  :  4— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Grassy  Lake  (7,150)— R  :  5— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Grebe  Lake  (7,950)— G  :  8— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Grizzly  Lake  (7,490)— F  :  5— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Hart  Lake  (7,469) — P  :  9 — According  to  Hayden,  "  long 
known  to  the  hunters  of  the  region  as  Heart  Lake."  Named 
prior  to  1870  for  an  old  hunter  by  the  name  of  Hart  Hunney 
who  in  early  times  plied  his  trade  in  this  vicinity.  He  was 
possibly  one  of  Bonneville's  men,  for  he  seems  to  have  known 
the  General  well  and  to  have  been  familiar  with  his  operations. 
He  was  killed  by  a  war  party  of  Crows  in  1852. 

The  spelling,  Heart,  dates  from  the  expeditions  of  1871.  The 
notion  that  the  name  arose  from  the  shape  of  the  lake  seems 
to  have  originated  with  Captain  Barlow.  It  has  generally 
been  accepted  although  there  is  really  uo  similarity  between 
the  form  of  the  lake  and  that  of  a  heart.  Lewis  Lake  is  the 
only  heart-shaped  lake  in  that  locality. 

Everts  named  Hart  Lake,  Bessie  Lake,  after  his  daughter. 

Henry  Lake  (6,443) — A  noted  lake  outside  the  limits  of  the 
Park  passed  by  tourists  entering  the  park  from  the  west.  It 
is  named  for  a  celebrated  fur  trader,  Andrew  Henry,  who 
built  a  trading  post  in  that  vicinity  in  1809. 

Bering  Lake  (7,530)— R  :  5— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  Ru- 
dolph Hering,  Topographer  on  the  Snake  River  Division  of 
the  Hayden  Survey  for  1872. 

Indian  Pond — J  :  11 — 1880 — Norris. — An  ancient,  much- 


LAKES.  331 

used  camping-ground  of  Indians.  "  My  favorite  camp  on 
the  Yellowstone  Lake  (and  it  evidently  has  been  a  favorite  one 
for  the  Indian)  has  ever  been  upon  the  grove-dotted  bluff, 
elevated  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  the  lake,  directly  fronting 
Indian  Pond." — Norris. 

Isa  Lake  (8,250)-L  :  6- 1893 —N.  P.  R.  R.— For  Miss 
Isabel  Jelke,  of  Cincinnati. 

Jackson  Lake  (6,000)— U-W  :  6— Date  unknown.— For 
David  Jackson,  a  noted  mountaineer  and  fur  trader,  and  one 
of  the  first  three  partners  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Com- 
pany. This  lake  was  discovered  by  John  Colter  and  was 
named  by  Clark  Lake  Biddle,  in  honor  of  Nicholas  Bid- 
die,  who  first  gave  to  the  world  an  authentic  edition  of  the 
journal  of  the  celebrated  Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition. 

Jenny  Lake— South  of  Leigh  Lake  and  off  the  map. — 
1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  the  wife  of  Richard  Leigh.  She  was 
a  Shoshone  Indian. 

Leigh  Lake—W  :  5— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  Richard 
Leigh  ("  Beaver  Dick"),  a  noted  hunter,  trapper,  and  guide 
in  the  country  around  the  Teton  Mountains.  The  nickname 
"  Beaver  Dick"  arose,  not  from  the  fact  that  Leigh  was  an 
expert  beaver  trapper,  but  on  account  of  the  striking  resem- 
blance of  two  abnormally  large  front  teeth  in  his  upper  jaw  to 
the  teeth  of  a  beaver.  The  Indians  called  him  "  The  Beaver." 

Lewis  Lake  (7,720)— O  :  7— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— For  Cap- 
tain Lewis  of  "Lewis  and  Clark  "  fame. 

"As  it  had  no  name,  so  far  as  we  could  ascertain,  we  de- 
cided to  call  it  Lewis  Lake,  in  memory  of  that  gallant  ex- 
plorer Captain  Meriwether  Lewis.  The  south  fork  of  the  Col- 
umbia, which  was  to  have  perpetuated  his  name,  has  reverted 
to  its  Indian  title  Shoshone,  and  is  commonly  known  by  that 
name,  or  its  translation,  Snake  River.  As  this  lake  lies  near 
the  head  of  one  of  the  principal  forks  of  that  stream,  it  may 
not  be  inappropriately  called  Lewis  Lake." — Bradley.* 

*  Page  249,  Sixth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


332  APPENDIX    A. 

Lorn  Lake  (o,400)— R  :  3— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.—  Charac- 
teristic. 

Lost  Lake  (8,500)— M  :  7— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Character- 
istic.— This  is  probably  Norris'  Two-Oceau-Pond,  and  is 
doubtless  also  the  lake  referred  to  by  Hayden  iu  the  following 
paragraph  from  his  report  for  1871 : 

"  We  camped  at  night  on  the  shore  of  a  lake  which  seemed 
to  have  no  outlet.  It  is  simply  a  depression  which  receives 
the  drainage  of  the  surrounding  hills.  It  is  marshy  around 
the  shores,  and  the  surface  is  covered  thickly  with  the  leaves 
and  flowers  of  a  large  yellow  lily." — Hayden. 

Madison  Lake  (8,250)— N  :  4— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Head  of  the  Madison  River. 

"A  small  lake,  covering  perhaps  sixty  acres,  occupies  the 
southern  end  of  the  [Firehole]  valley,  where  it  bends  to  the 
eastward ;  and  as  the  ultimate  lake  source  of  the  Madison 
River,  is  the  only  proper  possessor  of  the  name  '  Madison 
Lake.'"— Bradley.* 

Mallard  Lake  (8,000)— L  :  5— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Mary  Lake  (8,100)— J  :  7— 1873— Tourist  Party.— Cir- 
cumstance recorded  by  Rev.  E.  J.  Stanley,  one  of  the 
party,  and  author  of  the  book  "  Rambles  in  Wonderland," 
describing  the  tour.  The  following  extract  is  from  his  book  : 

"  We  passed  along  the  bank  of  a  lovely  little  lakelet,  sleep- 
ing in  seclusion  in  the  shade  of  towering  evergreens,  by  which 
it  is  sheltered  from  the  roaring  tempests.  It  is  near  the  di- 
vide, and  on  its  pebbly  shore  some  members  of  our  party  un- 
furled the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  christened  it  Mary's  Lake, 
in  honor  of  Miss  Clark,  a  young  lady  belonging  to  our  party." 

This  lake  appears  on  Jones'  map  for  the  same  year  as  Sum- 
mit Lake.  Everts  is  said  to  have  passed  it  in  his  wanderings, 
but  there  is  no  reliable  evidence  to  that  effect. 


*  Page  243,  Sixth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


LAKES.  333 

Mirror  Lake  (8,700)— G  :  12— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Obsidian  Lake  (7,650)— E  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Riddle  Lake  (7,950)— N  :  8— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— 

"  '  Lake  Riddle '  is  a  fugitive  name,  which  has  been  located 
at  several  places,  but  nowhere  permanently.  It  is  supposed 
to  have  been  used  originally  to  designate  the  mythical  lake, 
among  the  mountains,  whence,  according  to  the  hunters, 
water  flowed  to  both  oceans.  I  have  agreed  to  Mr.  Bering's 
proposal  to  attach  the  name  to  this  lake,  which  is  directly 
upon  the  divide  at  a  point  where  the  waters  of  the  two  oceans 
start  so  nearly  together,  and  thus  to  solve  the  unsolved  '  rid- 
dle' of  the  '  two-ocean-water.'" — Bradley.*  This  was  a  year 
before  Captain  Jones  verified  the  existence  of  Two-Ocean- 
Pass. 

Shoshone  Lake  (7,740)— M-N  :  5-6— 1872— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
From  Shoshone,  or  Snake  River,  which  here  finds  its  source. 
This  lake  was  first  named  De  Lacy  Lake,  after  its  discoverer. 
The  Washburn  Party  (1870)  appear  to  have  named  it  after 
their  leader.  In  1871,  Doctor  Hayden.  failing  to  identify  its 
location,  and  believing  it  to  be  tributary  to  the  Madison  River, 
renamed  it  Madison  Lake.  It  is  this  name  which  appears  on 
the  first  map  of  the  Park  and  in  the  Act  of  Dedication,  where 
the  west  boundary  of  the  Park  is  described  as  being  "  fifteen 
miles  west  of  the  most  western  point  of  Madison  Lake."  In 
1872,  when  the  correct  drainage  of  the  lake  was  discovered, 
the  name  "Madison  Lake"  was  transferred  to  its  present  lo- 
cation (See  "Madison  Lake"),  and  its  place  supplied  by 
"Shoshone  Lake."  The  Act  of  Dedication  is  therefore  mis- 
leading, and  it  is  necessary  to  know  that  "  Madison  Lake"  of 
the  Act,  is  "  Shoshone  Lake  "  now,  in  order  to  understand  the 
true  location  of  the  west  boundary  of  the  Park. 


*  Page  250,  Sixth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


334  APPENDIX    A. 

In  changing  the  name  from  "  De  Lacy"  to  "  Shoshone," 
Prof.  F.  H.  Bradley,  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey, 
took  occasion  to  reflect  severely  and  unjustifiably  upon 
De  Lacy's  work  in  mapping  the  country.* 

De  Lacy  felt  deeply  wronged  by  this  action,  and  Dr.  Hay- 
den  promised  him  that  he  would  set  the  matter  right ;  but 
nothing  was  done.  At  a  later  day,  Colonel  Norris  endeavored 
to  do  De  Lacy  tardy  justice  by  placing  his  name  on  the 
stream  which  enters  the  lake  from  the  north  and  drains  the 
beautiful  valley  now  crossed  by  the  tourist  route.  This  name 
remained  for  several  year's,  when  it  also  was  removed  by  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey,  and  its  place  filled  by 
"  Heron  Creek."  During  the  past  year,  however,  the  name 
" De  Lacy  Creek"  has  been  restored. 

Summit  Lake  (8,450)— M  :  3— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Near 
Continental  Divide. 

Swan  Lake  (7,200)— D  :  6— 1879— Norris— Characteristic. 

Sylvan  Lake  (8,300)— L  :  13— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S.— Char- 
acteristic. 

Tern  Lake  (8,150)—  I:  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Trout  Lake  (6,850)— D  :  13— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Turbid  Lake  (7,800)— K  :  11— 1878— U.  S.  G.  H.—  Charac- 
teristic. 

Twin  Lakes  (7,450)— G  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Character- 
istic. 

Wapiti  Lake  (8,500)— H  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

White  Lake  (8,150)— I  :  11— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— Charac- 
teristic. 

Woods,  Lake  of  the  (7,550)— F  :  6— 1885— U.  S.  G.  S.— 
Characteristic. 

Yellowstone  Lake  (7,741)— K-O  :   8-12— From  the  river 


*  Page  244,  Sixth  Annual  Report  of  Dr.  Hayden. 


LAKES,    ISLANDS,    BAYS.  335 

which  flows  through  it.  This  lake  was  named,  on  the  map 
showing  "  Colter's  Route  in  1807,"  Lake  Eustis,  in  honor  of 
William  Eustis,  Secretary  of  War  to  President  Madison,  1809 
to  1812.  . 

Later  it  appears  as  Sublette  Lake,  in  honor  of  the  noted 
fur  trader,  William  Sublette.  It  is  even  said  at  one  time  to 
have  borne  the  "  fugitive  name,"  Riddle  Lake.  But  it  early 
became  known  by  its  present  name. 

The  islands  of  this  lake  are  seven  in  number.  They  seem 
to  have  all  been  named  by  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey  largely  for  the  employes  of  the  survey.  They  are : 

Carrington  Island.     For  Campbell  Carrington,  zoologist. 

Dot  Island.     A  mere  dot  on  the  map. 

Frank  Island.  For  the  brother  of  Henry  W.  Elliott,  a 
member  of  the  Hayden  Expedition  of  1871.  This  Island 
was  renamed  Belkuap  Island  in  1875  by  the  members  of 
Secretary  Belknap's  party,  who  passed  through  the  Park  in 
that  year.  The  name,  however,  never  came  into  use. 

Molly  Island. — For  the  wife  of  Mr.  Henry  Gannett. 

Peale  Island. — For  Dr.  A.  C.  Peale,  author  of  the  elaborate 
report  on  thermal  springs  which  appears  in  Hayden's  report 
for  1878. 

Pelican  Roost — Characteristic. 

Stevenson  Island. — For  James  Stevenson.  See  "  Mt. 
Stevenson." 

The  bays  are  also  seven  in  number,  of  which  only  the  fol- 
foling  merit  notice  : 

Mary  Bay. — Named  by  Henry  W.  Elliott  for  Miss  Mary 
Force. 

Thumb. — From  the  old  fancy  that  the  form  of  the  lake  re- 
sembled that  of  the  human  hand. 

Bridge  Bay. — From  Bridge  Creek.     See  "Bridge  Creek." 


336 


APPENDIX    A. 


The  capes  are  thirteen  in  number.  We  need  notice  only 
Signal  Point,  which  was  much  used  in  signaling  by  the  early 
explorers;  Steamboat  Point,  named  from  the  Steamboat 
Springs  near  by  ;  and  Storm  Point,  so  named  because  it  re- 
ceives the  full  force  of  the  prevailing  south-west  winds  from 
across  the  lake. 

"  The  Annie" — The  first  boat  on  the  Yellowstone  Lake  was 
a  small  canvass  craft  12  feet  long  by  3^  feet  wide.  Dr.  Hay- 


"THE  ANNIE." 

den  records  that,  it  was,  christened  The  Annie,  "by  Mr. 
Stevenson,  in  compliment  to  Miss  Anna  L.  Dawes,  the  ami- 
able daughter  of  Hon.  H.  L.  Dawes." 


LAKES,    ISLANDS,    BAYS.  337 

The  boat  was  extemporized  by  Mr.  James  Stevenson  from 
such  materials  as  could  be  picked  up.  In  the  classic  picture 
of  this  historic  craft,  the  persons  in  the  boat  are  James  Ste- 
venson and  Henry  W.  Elliott.  An  original  photograph  of 
the  boat  now  adorns  the  cabin  of  the  Zillah,  the  small  steam- 
boat which  conveys  tourists  about  the  Lake. 


338 


APPENDIX   A. 


APPENDIX  A. 


VI. 

MISCELLANEOUS   FEATURES. 
[Numbers  in  parentheses  indicate  altitudes.] 

Craig  Pass  (8,300) — L  :  6 — 1891 — From  the  maiden  name 
of  Mrs.  Ida  Craig' Wilcox,  the  first  tourist  to  cross  the  pass. 

Hayden  Valley  (7,800)— H-J  :  8-10— 1878— U.  S.  G.  S. 
For  the  eminent  American  geologist,  Ferdinand  Vandiveer 

Hayden,  M.  D.,  LL.  D., 
whose  important  part  in  the 
history  of  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park  has  been  fully 
set  forth  in  previous  pages. 
The  following  condensed 
sketch  of  his  life  is  from  the 
pen  of  Dr.  A.  C.  Peale :  * 

"He  was  born  at 
Westfield,  Mass.,  September 
7,  1829.  ...  His  father 
died  when  he  was  about  ten 
years  of  age,  and  about  two 
years  later  he  went  to  live 
with  an  uncle  at  Rochester,  in 
Loraiu  County,  Ohio,  where 

he  remained  for  six  years.     He  taught  in  the  country  district 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  during  his  sixteenth  and  seven- 


FERDINAND    VANDIVEER    HAYDEN. 


*  Bulletin  Philosophical   Society  of  Washington,  Vol.  VI,  pp. 
476-478. 


MISCELLANEOUS    FEATURES.  339 

teenth  years,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  went  to  Oberlin  Col- 
lege, where  he  was  graduated  in  1850. 

"  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry,  at  Cleve- 
land, and  at  Albany  was  graduated  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  the 
early  part  of  1853.  After  his  graduation,  he  was  sent  by 
Prof.  James  Hall,  of  New  York,  to  the  Bad  Lands  of  White 
River,  in  Dakota.  The  years  1854  and  1855  he  spent  explor- 
ing and  collecting  fossils  in  the  Upper  Missouri  country, 
mainly  at  his  own  expense.  From  1856  until  1859,  he  was 
connected  as  geologist  with  the  expeditions  of  Lieutenant 
Warren,  engaged  in  explorations  in  Nebraska  and  Dakota. 
From  1859  until  1862,  he  was  surgeon,  naturalist,  and  geolo- 
gist with  Captain  W.  F.  Raynolds,  in  the  exploration  of  the 
Yellowstone  and  Missouri  Rivers.  In  October,  1862,  he  was 
appointed  acting  assistant  surgeon  and  assistant  medical  in- 
spector until  June,  1865,  when  he  resigned,  and  was  bre- 
vetted  lieutenant-colonel  for  meritorious  services  during  the 
war.  He  then  resumed  his  scientific  work,  and  in  1866  made 
another  trip  to  the  Bad  Lands  of  Dakota,  this  time  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia. 
In  1865,  he  was  elected  professor  of  mineralogy  and  geology 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  which  position  he  resigned 
in  1872.  From  1867  to  1879,  his  history  is  that  of  the  or- 
ganization of  which  he  had  charge,  which  began  as  a  geologi- 
cal survey  of  Nebraska,  and  became  finally  the  Geological 
Survey  of  the  Territories.  .  .  .  From  1879  until  Decem- 
ber, 1886,  he  was  connected  with  the  United  States  Geologi- 
cal Survey  as  geologist.  His  health  began  to  fail  soon  after 
his  connection  with  this  organization,  and  gradually  became 
worse,  and  he  lived  only  a  year  after  his  resignation. 

"In  1876,  the  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by 
the  University  of  Rochester,  and  in  June,  1886,  he  received 
the  same  degree  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  a  member  of  seventeen  scientific  societies  in  the  United 
States,  among  them  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  and 


340  APPENDIX   A. 

was  honorary  and  corresponding  member  of  some  seventy 
foreign  societies.  A  bibliography  of  his  writings  includes  158 
titles. 

".  .  .  The  gentleness  and  diffidence,  approaching  even 
timidity,  which  impressed  his  fellow-students  at  Oberlin, 
characterized  Dr.  Hayden  throughout  his  life,  and  rendered 
it  somewhat  difficult  for  those  who  did  not  know  him  inti- 
mately to  understand  the  reasons  for  his  success,  which  was 
undoubtedly  due  to  his  energy  and  perseverance,  qualities 
which  were  equally  characteristic  of  him  as  a  boy  and  student 
and  in  later  life.  His  desire  to  forward  the  cause  of  science 
was  sincere  and  enthusiastic,  and  he  was  always  ready  to 
modify  his  views  upon  the  presentation  of  evidence.  He  was 
intensely  nervous,  frequently  impulsive,  but  ever  generous, 
and  his  honesty  and  integrity  undoubted.  The  greater  part 
of  his  work  for  the  government  and  for  science  was  a  labor 
of  love." 

Jones  Pass  (9,450)— K  :  12— 1880— Norris— For  its  discov- 
erer, Captain  W.  A.  Jones,  Corps  of  Engineers,  CJ.  S.  A., 
who  passed  through  it  in  1873. 

Kingman  Pass  (7,230)— D  :  6— 1883— U.  S.  G.  S.— The 
pass  of  which  Golden  Gate  is  the  northern  entrance.  For 
Lieutenant  D.  C.  Kingman,  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A., 
who  built  the  road  through  the  pass. 

Norris  Geyser  Basin  (7,527)— G-H  :  6— For  P.  W.  Norris, 
who  first  explored  and  described  it,  and  opened  it  up  to  tour- 
ists. It  was,  however,  discovered  iu  1872  by  E.  S.  Topping 
and  Dwight  Woodruff,  who  were  led  in  that  direction  by  no- 
ticing from  the  summit  of  Bunsen  Peak  a  vast  column  of 
steam  ascending  to  the  southward.  The  day  after  this  dis- 
covery, a  tourist  party,  including  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  H. 
Stone,  of  Bozemau,  Montana,  visited  it  from  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs,  and  then  continued  their  course,  by  way  of  the  gen- 
eral line  of  the  present  route,  to  the  Firehole  Geyser  Basin. 
Mrs.  Stone  was  the  first  white  woman  to  visit  the  Park. 


MISCELLANEOUS    FEATURES.  341 

Norris  Pass  (8,260)— M  :  6— 1879—  Norris— For  its  discov- 
erer. 

Raynolds  Pass  (6,911) — Not  on  map. — Crosses  the  Conti- 
nental Divide  to  the  northward  of  Henry  Lake,  and  connects 
the  valley  of  Henry  Fork  with  that  of  the  Madison.  Named 
for  Captain  W.  F.  Raynolds,  who  led  his  expedition  through 
it  in  1860. 

Sylvan  Pass  (8,650)— L  :  13— 1895— U.  S.  G.  8.—  Charac- 
teristic. 

Targhee  Pass  (7,063) — Not  on  map. — Crosses  the  Continen- 
tal Divide  to  the  eastward  of  Henry  Lake,  and  leads  from  the 
valley  of  Henry  Fork  to  that  of  the  Madison.  The  origin 
and  orthography  of  this  name  are  uncertain.  In  Hayden's 
Report  for  1872,  occur  three  spellings,  Targhee,  Tyghee,  and 
Tahgee.  The  weight  of  evidence  is  in  favor  of  the  form 
here  adopted.  There  was  an  impression  among  the  Hayden 
Survey  people,  in  1872,  that  the  name  was  given  in  honor  of 
some  distinguished  Indian  Chief;  but  that  there  was  no  defi- 
nite information  on  the  point  is  evident  from  the  following 
statements,  taken  from  Hayden's  Report  for  1872.  On  page 
56,  it  is  stated  that  Tahgee  Pass  "was  named  years  ago  for 
the  head  chief  of  the  Bannocks."  On  page  227,  it  is  said 
that  Tyghee  Pass  "  was  named  for  an  old  Shoshone  chief  who 
was  wont  to  use  it."  The  real  origin  is  thus  left  somewhat 
obscure,  but  it  is  probable  that  the  notion  that  the  pass  was 
named  for  an  Indian  chief  may  have  some  foundation  in 
fact.  There  was  living  among  the  Bannocks  within  the 
present  memory  of  white  men  a  chief  whose  name  was  pro- 
nounced Ti-gee. 


342 


APPENDIX    A. 


APPENDIX  A. 


vir. 

LIST    OF    THE    PROMINENT    GEYSERS. 

The  numbers  in  the  third  column  are  the  highest  recorded 
eruptions.  The  numbers  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  columns  are 
not  to  be  taken  as  indicating  the  correct  duration  or  period- 
icity of  eruptions.  The  prevalent  notion  that  geysers  exhibit 
uniform  periodicity  of  action,  is  erroneous.  There  is  only 
one  geyser  of  importance  in  the  Park  that  can  be  depended 
on,  and  that  is  Old  Faithful.  The  figures  for  the  other 
geysers  are  merely  rough  averages,  true,  perhaps,  as  the  mean 
of  a  year's  observations,  but  not  at  all  to  be  relied  upon  in 
predicting  particular  eruptions. 

The  following  abbreviations  are  used:  " M.  H.  S.,"  for  Mam- 
moth Hot  Springs;  "  N.  G.  B.,"  "L.  G.  B.,"  "  M.  G.  B.,"  "  U.  G. 
B.,"  "8.  G.  B.,"  and  "H.  G.  B.,"  for  the  Norris,  Lower,  Middle, 
Upper,  Shoshone,  and  Hart  Lake,  Geyser  Basins  respectively; 
"  E.  S.  Y."  and  "  W.  S.  Y."  for  the  East  and  West  Shores  respect- 
ively of  the  Yellowstone  Lake;  "  s."  for  second;  "m."  for 
minute  ;  "  h."  for  hour;  and  "  d."  for  day. 


NAME. 

Loca- 
tion. 

Eruptions. 

Authors  of  Names. 
Remarks. 

Height. 

Dura- 
tion. 

Inter- 
val. 

Arsenic  

N.  G.  B. 

U.  S.  G.  S. 

Artemesia  
Atomizer.  . 

U.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 
L.  G.  B. 

U.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 

150  ft. 
20ft. 

220ft. 

10m. 
10  in. 

8  m. 

2d. 
20  h. 

U.  S.  G.  S. 
Unknown. 
Has      a       "beautifully 
beaded    tube."—  Corn- 
stock. 
Washburn  Partv. 
U.  3.  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 

Bead  
Bee  Hive 

Bijou  

Bulser  .  .  . 

U.  G.  B. 

5ft. 

LIST    OF    THE    PROMINENT    GEYSERS. 


343 


Eruptions. 

T  nnt% 

Authors  of  Names. 

NAME. 

.Loca- 
tion. 

Height. 

Dura- 
tion. 

Inter- 
val. 

Remarks. 

Castle  

U.  G.  B. 

100ft. 

25m. 

24  h. 

Washburn  Party.  "From 

a  distance  it  strongly 

resembles  an  old  feu- 

dal castle  partially  in 

ruins."  —  Doane. 

Catfish  

L.  G.  B. 

U.  8.  G.  8. 

Chinaman  

U.  G.  B. 

U.  S.  G.  8.     Really  a  qui- 

escent spring.    Some- 

times called  a  geyser 

from  the  circumstance 

that  a  Chinaman  who 

had  used  it  for  a  wash- 

tub  caused  an  eruption 

by  the  soap  put  in  the 

spring,  thus  initiating 

the  practice  of  "soap- 

ing geysers." 

Clepsydra  

L.  G.  B. 

50ft. 

10s. 

3  m. 

"  Like  the  ancient  water- 

clock  of  that  name,  it 

marks  the  passage  of 

time  by  the  discharge 

of  water."  —  Comstock 

(1873). 

Comet        

U.  G.  B. 

60ft. 

1  m. 

U.  S.  G.  8. 

Congress  

N.  G.  B. 

Came  into  existence  in 

the  winter  of  1893.  Like 

the     memorable     53d 

Congress,  for  which  it 

is  named,  its  perform- 

ance  is  sadly  incom- 

mensurate    with     its 

promises. 

Constant  

N.  G.  B. 

40ft. 

10s. 

1m. 

Norris. 

Cubs  

U.  G.  B. 

See  '•  Lion." 

Deluge.  .  .     .... 

H  G.  B 

15ft. 

U.  S.  G.  S. 

Echinus  

N  G  B 

20ft. 

U.  S.  G.  8. 

Economic  

U.  G.  B. 

No  water  lost  in  erup- 

tion ;  all  falls  back  into 

crater. 

Excelsior 

M.  G.  B. 

300  ft. 

1  to  4  h. 

"A  geyser  so  immeasur- 

ably    excelling     any 

other  ancient  or  mod- 

ern known  to  history 

that    I    find    but  one 

name  fitting,  and  here- 

in christen  it  the  Ex- 

celsior." —  Norris.   The 

Sheridan    parties    in 

1881  and  1882  called  it 

the  Sheridan  Geyser. 

Fan  

U.  G  B 

60ft. 

10  m. 

8  h. 

Washburn  Party. 

Fearless  

N.  G.  B. 

Norris. 

Fissure  

N  G.  B 

100ft. 

20  in. 

2  h. 

U.  S.  G.  S. 

Fitful  

L.  G.  B. 

3ft. 

Comstock. 

Fountain    

L.  G  B 

60ft 

15  m. 

4  h 

U.  S.  G.  S. 

Giant  

U.  G.  B. 

200ft. 

90  m. 

6d. 

Washburn  Party. 

Giantess  

U.  G.  B. 

250ft. 

12  h. 

14  d. 

Washburn  Party. 

Grand.     

U.  G.  B. 

200  ft. 

20m. 

20  h. 

U.  S.  G.  S. 

Gray  Bulger.   .  . 

L.  G.  B. 

1ft. 

30s. 

1m. 

U.  S.  G.  S. 

Great  Fountain.. 

L.  G  B. 

100  ft. 

U.   S.  G.  S.—  Called  Ar- 

chitectural   Fountain 

in  1871. 

344 


APPENDIX    A. 
t 


NAME. 

Loca- 
tion. 

Eruptions. 

Authors  of  Names., 
Remarks. 

Height. 

Dura- 
tion. 

Inter- 
val. 

Grotto  

U.  G.  B. 
L.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 

U.  G.  B. 

M  :5. 

N.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 

40ft. 
15ft. 
50ft. 
60ft. 

80ft. 
60ft. 

40ft. 

30  m. 

i  m. 
8  m. 

10m. 
10m. 

20s. 

4h. 

50  m. 
24  h. 

24  h. 
40  m. 

90s. 

Washburn  Party. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  8. 
With  Lioness  and  Cubs, 
called     "The     Chim- 
neys"   by    Barlow   in 
1871;  renamed  "Trin- 
ity "  Geysers  by  Corn- 
stock     in    1S73;'    most 
isolated    cone    called 
"Niobe"  by  U.S.  G.  S. 
in  1878;  present  name 
given  by  Norris  in  1881. 
See  "Lion." 
Unknown.    First  called 
"The  Solitary"  by  the 
U.  S.  G.  S.  in  1872. 
Morris. 
Peyser  on  a  small  scale. 
Norris. 
"  Resembles  in  its  erup- 
tion    the     particular 
piece  of  ordnance  from 
which    it   derives    its 
name."  Havnes  Guide 
Book. 
Morris. 
Washburn  Party. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
Washburn  Party. 
U.  S:  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
Barlow. 
U.  S.  G.  8. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 
Norris. 
From  appearance  of  its 
crater. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 

U.  S.  G.  S.    "From  the 
fancied       appearance 
of  some  of  the  large 
globular  masses  in  its 
basin    to    a    Turkish 
head-dress."—  Peale. 
U.  S.  G.  S.  in  1872.    So 
named  "  because  of  its 
combination     of     the 
various  forms  of  gey- 
seric   action."  —  Peale. 
No.  1  is  North  Cone: 
No.   2    Middle    Cone; 
and  No.  3  South  Cone. 
Norris. 
U.  8.  G.  S. 
Earl  of  Dunraven. 
U.  S.  G.  S. 

Jet  

Jewell   .  

Lioness  

Lone  Star  

Minute  

Model 

N.  G.  B. 
N.  G.  B. 

N.  G.  B. 
I  :  9 
U.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 
N.  G.  B. 
N.  G.  B. 
L  G  B. 

125ft. 
60ft. 

10ft. 
30ft. 
40ft. 
150  ft. 

50ft. 

20m. 
6  m. 

5  m. 
20m. 
4m. 
4^m. 

12h. 
8h. 

20  m. 
3h. 
8h. 
65  m. 

75  m. 

8h'." 
15m. 

Mud  Geyser.  .  .  . 
Mud  Geyser.  .  .  . 
Oblong  
Old  Faithful  .,. 
Pearl  
Pebble     .  . 

Restless  
Riverside  
Rosette  

U.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 
L.  G.  B. 
H.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 
S.  G.  B. 

80ft. 
30  ft. 
47ft. 
35ft. 
20  ft. 

15m. 
4  m. 

Rustic  

Sentinel 

Shield      

U.  G.  B. 
H.G.  B. 

5ft. 

Spike  

Splendid  

U.  G.  B. 
U  G.  B. 

200  ft. 

10m. 

3h. 

Steady            

L.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 
U.  G.  B. 

S.  G.  B. 

30ft. 
100  ft. 
20  ft. 

114ft. 
66ft. 
3ft. 

"'i'i'ft'." 

20ft. 
20ft. 

Surprise. 

2 

25m. 

60m. 

Turban  

5h. 

Union  (1)  ... 

(2)   .. 

(8)  ...       . 

Vixen..  
White  Dome  .. 
Young  Faithful. 
Youne  Hooeful. 

N.  G.  B. 
L.  G.  B. 
U  G.B. 
L.  G.  B. 

LEGISLATION    AND    REGULATIONS.  345 


APPENDIX   B. 

LEGISLATION  AND  REGULATIONS  NOW  IN  FORCE 
AFFECTING  THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL 
PARK. 


THE  ACT   OP   DEDICATION. 

AN  ACT  to  set  apart  a  certain  tract  of  land  lying  near  the  head- 
waters of  the  Yellowstone  River  as  a  public  park. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  Souse  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  the  tract 
of  land  in  the  Territories  of  Montana  and  Wyoming  lying 
near  the  headwaters  of  the  Yellowstone  River,  and  described 
as  follows,  to  wit:  commencing  at  the  junction  of  Gardiner's 
River  with  the  Yellowstone  River  and  running  east  of  the 
meridian,  passing  ten  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the  most  east- 
ern point  of  Yellowstone  Lake ;  thence  south  along  the 
said  meridian  to  the  parallel  of  latitude,  passing  ten  miles 
south  of  the  most  southern  point  of  Yellowstone  Lake; 
thence  west  along  said  parallel  to  the  meridian,  passing 
fifteen  miles  west  of  the  most  western  point  of  Madison 
Lake ;  thence  north  along  said  meridian  to  the  latitude  of 
the  junction  of  the  Yellowstone  and  Gardiner's  Rivers; 
thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning,  is  hereby  reserved  and 
withdrawn  from  settlement,  occupancy,  or  sale  under  the 
laws  of  the  United  States,  and  dedicated  and  set  apart  as  a 
public  park  or  pleasuring  ground  for  the  benefit  and  enjoyment 
of  the  people ;  and  all  persons  who  shall  locate,  or  settle  upon, 
or  occupy  the  same  or  any  part  thereof,  except  as  hereinafter 


346  APPENDIX    B. 

provided,  shall  be  considered  trespassers  and  removed  there- 
from. 

SEC.  2.  That  said  public  park  shall  be  under  the  exclusive 
control  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  whose  duty  it  shall 
be  as  soon  as  practicable,  to  make  and  publish  such  rules  and 
regulations  as  he  may  deem  necessary  or  proper  for  the  care 
and  management  of  the  same.  Such  regulations  shall  pro- 
vide for  the  preservation  from  injury  or  spoliation  of  all  tim- 
ber, mineral  deposits,  natural  curiosities,  or  wonders  within 
said  park,  and  their  retention  in  their  natural  condition. 

The  Secretary  may,  in  his  discretion,  grant  leases  for  build- 
ing purposes,  for  terms  not  exceeding  £en  years,  of  small  par- 
cels of  ground,  at  such  places  in  said  park  as  shall  require  the 
erection  of  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  visitors  ;  all  of 
the  proceeds  of  said  leases,  and  all  other  revenues  that  may 
be  derived  from  any  source  connected  with  said  park,  to  be 
expended  under  his  direction  in  the  management  of  the  same 
and  the  construction  of  roads  and  bridle-paths  therein.  He 
shall  provide  against  the  wanton  destruction  of  the  fish  and 
game  found  within  said  park  and  against  their  capture  or  de- 
struction for  the  purposes  of  merchandise  or  profit.  He  shall 
also  cause  all  persons  trespassing  upon  the  same  after  the  pas- 
sage of  this  act  to  be  removed  therefrom,  and  generally  shall 
be  authorized  to  take  all  such  measures  as  shall  be  necessary 
or  proper  to  fully  carry  out  the  objects  and  purposes  of  this 
act. 

Approved  March  1,  1872. 
Signed  by : 

JAMES  G.  ELAINE,  Speaker  of  the  House. 

SCHUYLER  COLFAX,  Vice-President  of  the  United  States 
f»nd  President  of  the  Senate. 

ULYSSES  S.  GRANT,  President  of  the  United  States. 


LEGISLATION    AND     REGULATIONS.  347 


MILITARY  ASSISTANCE  AUTHORIZED   FOR  PRO- 
TECTING  THE  PARK 

SUNDRY  CIVIL   BILL   FOB  1883. 

.  .  .  The  Secretary  of  War,  upon  the  request  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  make 
the  necessary  details  of  troops  to  prevent  traspassers  or  intruders 
from  entering  the  park  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the 
game  or  objects  of  curiosity  therein,  or  for  any  other  purpose 
prohibited  by  law,  and  to  remove  such  persons  from  the  park 
if  found  therein. 

Approved,  March  3,  1883. 


ADMISSION   OF  THE  STATE   OF  WYOMING. 

SEC.  2.  .  •  .  .  Provided,  That  nothing  in  this  act  con- 
tained shall  repeal  or  affect  any  act  of  Congress  relating 
to  the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  or  the  reservation  of 
the  park  as  now  defined,  or  as  may  be  hereafter  defined 
or  extended,  or  the  power  of  the  United  States  over  it ; 
and  nothing  contained  in  this  act  shall  interfere  with 
the  right  and  ownership  of  the  United  States  in  said 
park  and  reservation  as  it  now  is  or  may  hereafter  be  defined 
or  extended  by  law  :  but  exclusive  legislation,  in  all  cases 
whatsoever,  shall  be  exercised  by  the  United  States,  which 
shall  have  exclusive  control  and  jurisdiction  over  the  same; 
but  nothing  in  this  proviso  contained  shall  be  construed  to 
prevent  the  service  within  said  park  of  civil  and  criminal  pro- 
cess lawfully  issued  by  the  authority  of  said  state ;  and  the 
said  state  shall  not  be  entitled  to  select  indemnity  school  lands 
for  the  sixteenth  and  thirty-sixth  sections  that  may  be  in  said 
park  reservation,  as  the  same  is  now  defined  or  may  be  here- 
after defined. 

Approved,  July  10,  1890. 


348  APPENDIX     B. 


THE  NATIONAL  PARK  PROTECTIVE  ACT. 

AN  ACT  to  protect  the  birds  and  animals  in  Yellowstone  Na- 
tional Park,  and  to  punish  crimes  in  said  park,  and  for  other 
purposes. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  the  Yel- 
lowstone National  Park,  as  its  boundaries  now  are  defined,  or 
as  they  may  be  hereafter  defined  or  extended,  shall  be  under 
the  sole  and  exclusive  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States;  and 
that  all  the  laws  applicable  to  places  under  the  sole  and 
exclusive  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States  shall  have  force 
and  effect  in  said  park  ;  provided,  however,  that  nothing 
in  this  Act  shall  be  construed  to  forbid  the  service  in 
the  park  of  any  civil  or  criminal  process  of  any  court  having 
jurisdiction  in  the  States  of  Idaho,  Montana  and  Wyoming. 
All  fugitives  from  justice  takiug  refuge  in  said  park  shall  be 
subject  to  the  same  laws  as  refugees  from  justice  found  in  the 
State  of  Wyoming. 

SEC.  2.  That  said  park,  for  all  the  purposes  of  this  Act, 
shall  constitute  a  part  of  the  United  States  judicial  district  of 
Wyoming  and  the  District  and  Circuit  Courts  of  the  United 
States  in  and  for  said  district  shall  have  jurisdiction  of  all 
offenses  committed  within  said  park. 

SEC.  3.  That  if  any  offense  shall  be  committed  in  said  Yel- 
lowstone National  Park,  which  offense  is  not  prohibited  or  the 
punishment  is  not  specially  provided  for  by  any  law  of  the 
United  States  or  by  any  regulation  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  the  offender  shall  be  subject  to  the  same  punishment 
as  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Wyoming  in  force  at  the  time  of 
the  commission  of  the  offense  may  provide  for  a  like  offense 
in  the  said  State  ;  and  no  subsequent  repeal  of  any  such  law 
of  the  State  of  Wyoming  shall  affect  any  prosecution  for  said 
offense  committed  within  said  park. 

SEC.  4.  That   all   hunting,  or   the   killing,  wounding,    or 


LEGISLATION    AND     REGULATIONS.  349 

capturing  at  any  time  of  any  bird  or  wild  animal,  except 
dangerous  animals,  when  it  is  necessary  to  prevent  them  from 
destroying  human  life  or  inflicting  an  injury,  is  prohibited 
within  the  limits  of  said  park ;  nor  shall  any  fish  be  taken 
out  of  the  waters  of  the  park  by  means  of  seines,  nets,  traps, 
or  by  the  use  of  drugs  or  any  explosive  substances  or  com- 
pounds, or  in  any  other  way  than  by  hook  and  line,  and  then 
only  at  such  seasons  and  in  such  times  and  manner  as  may 
be  directed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  That  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior  shall  make  and  publish  such  rules  and  reg- 
ulations as  he  may  deem  necessary  and  proper  for  the  manage- 
ment and  care  of  the  park  and  for  the  protection  of  the  property 
therein,  especially  for  the  preservation  from  injury  or  spolia- 
tion of  all  timber,  mineral  deposits,  natural  curiosities,  or 
wonderful  objects  within-said  park ;  and  for  the  protection  of 
the  animals  and  birds  in  the  park,  from  capture  or  destruc- 
tion, or  to  prevent  their  being  frightened  or  driven  from  the 
park  ;  and  he  shall  make  rules  and  regulations  governing  the 
taking  of  fish  from  the  streams  or  lakes  in  the  park.  Posses- 
sion within  the  said  park  of  the  dead  bodies,  or  any  part 
thereof,  of  any  wild  bird  or  animal  shall  be  prima  facie  evi- 
dence that  the  person  or  persons  having  the  same  are  guilty 
of  violating  this  Act.  Any  person  or  persons,  or  stage  or  ex- 
press company  or  railway  company,  receiving  for  transporta- 
tion any  of  the  said  animals,  birds  or  fish  so  killed,  taken  or 
caught,  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  shall 
be  fined  for  every  such  offense,  not  exceeding  three  hundred 
dollars.  Any  person  found  guilty  of  violating  any  of  the 
provisions  of  this  Act  or  any  rule  or  regulation  that  may  be 
promulgated  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  with  reference 
to  the  management  and  care  of  the  park,  or  for  the  protection 
of  the  property  therein,  for  the  preservation  from  injury  or 
spoliation  of  timber,  mineral  deposits,  natural  curiosities  or 
wonderful  objects  within  said  park,  or  for  the  protection  of 
the  animals,  birds  and  fish  in  the  said  park,  shall  be  deemed 


350  APPENDIX     B. 

guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  shall  be  subjected  to  a  fine  of 
not  more  than  one  thousand  dollars  or  imprisonment  not  ex- 
ceeding two  years,  or  both,  and  be  adjudged  to  pay  all  costs 
of  the  proceedings. 

That  all  guns,  traps,  teams,  horses,  or  means  of  transporta- 
tion of  every  nature  or  description  used  by  any  person  or  per- 
sons within  said  park  limits  when  engaged  in  killing,  trapping, 
ensnaring,  or  capturing  such  wild  beasts,  birds,  or  wild  animals 
shall  be  forfeited  to  the  United  States,  and  may  be  seized  by 
the  officers  in  said  park  and  held  pending  the  prosecution  of 
any  person  or  persons  arrested  under  charge  of  violating 
the  provisions  of  this  Act,  and  upon  conviction  under  this 
Act  of  such  person  or  persons  using  said  guns,  traps,  teams, 
horses,  or  other  means  of  transportation,  such  forfeiture  shall 
be  adjudicated  as  a  penalty  in  addition  to  the  other  punish- 
ment provided  in  this  Act.  Such  forfeited  property  shall  be 
disposed  and  accounted  for  by  and  under  the  authority  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

SEC.  5.  That  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  in  said  dis- 
trict shall  appoint  a  commissioner,  who  shall  reside  in  the 
park,  who  shall  have  jurisdiction  to  hear  and  act  upon  all 
complaints  made,  of  any  and  all  violations  of  the  law,  or  of 
the  rules  and  regulations  made  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Inte- 
rior for  the  government  of  the  park,  and  for  the  protection 
of  the  animals,  birds,  and  fish  and  objects  of  interest  therein, 
and  for  other  purposes  authorized  by  this  Act.  Such  com- 
missioner shall  have  power,  upon  sworn  information,  to  issue 
process  in  the  name  of  the  United  States  for  the  arrest  of  any 
person  charged  with  the  commission  of  any  misdemeanor,  or 
charged  with  the  violation  of  the  rules  and  regulations,  or 
with  the  violation  of  any  provision  of  this  Act  prescribed  for 
the  government  of  said  park,  and  for  the  protection  of  the 
animals,  birds,  and  fish  in  the  said  park,  and  to  try  the  per- 
son so  charged,  and,  if  found  guilty,  to  impose  the  punish- 
ment and  adjudge  the  forfeiture  prescribed.  In  all  cases  of 


LEGISLATION    AND    REGULATIONS.  351 

conviction,  au  appeal  shall  lie  from  the  judgment  of  said  com- 
missioner to  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the  district 
of  Wyoming,  said  appeal  to  be  governed  by  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Wyoming  providing  for  appeals  in  cases  of  misde- 
meanor from  justices  of  the  peace  to  the  District  Court  of 
said  State;  but  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  in  said  district 
may  prescribe  rules  of  procedure  and  practice  for  said  commis- 
sioner in  the  trial  of  cases,  and  for  appeal  to  said  United 
States  District  Court.  Said  commissioner  shall  also  have 
power  to  issue  process  as  hereinbefore  provided  for  the  arrest 
of  any  person  charged  with  the  commission  of  any  felony 
within  the  park,  and  to  summarily  hear  the  evidence  intro- 
duced, and,  if  he  shall  determine  that  probable  cause  is 
shown  for  holding  the  person  so  charged  for  trial,  shall  cause 
such  person  to  be  safely  conveyed  to  a  secure  place  for  con- 
finement, within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States  District 
Court  in  said  State  of  Wyoming,  and  shall  certify  a  transcript 
of  the  record  of  his  proceedings  and  the  testimony  in  the  case 
to  the  said  court,  which  court  shall  have  jurisdiction  of  the 
case ;  provided,  that  the  said  commissioner  shall  grant  bail  in 
all  cases  bailable  under  the  laws  of  the  United  States  or  of 
said  State.  All  process  issued  by  the  commissioner  shall  be 
directed  to  the  marshal  of  the  United  States  for  the  district 
of  Wyoming;  but  nothing  herein  contained  shall  be  con- 
strued as  preventing  the  arrest  by  any  officer  of  the  govern- 
ment or  employe  of  the  United  States  in  the  park,  without 
process,  of  any  person  taken  in  the  act  of  violating  the  law  or 
any  regulation  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior;  provided, 
that  the  said  commissioner  shall  only  exercise  such  authority 
and  powers  as  are  conferred  by  this  Act. 

SEC.  6.  That  the  marshal  of  the  United  States  for  the  dis- 
trict of  Wyoming  may  appoint  one  or  more  deputy  marshals 
for  said  park,  who  shall  reside  in  said  park,  and  the  said 
United  States  District  and  Circuit  Courts  shall  hold  one  ses- 
sion of  said  courts  annually  at  the  town  of  Sheridan,  in  the 


352  APPENDIX   B. 

State  of  Wyoming,  and  may  also  hold  other  sessions  at  any 
other  place  in  said  State  of  Wyoming,  or  in  said  National 
Park,  at  such  dates  as  the  said  courts  may  order. 

SEC.  7.  That  the  commissioner  provided  for  in  this  Act 
shall,  in  addition  to  the  fees  allowed  by  law  to  commissioners 
of  the  Circuit  Courts  of  the  United  States,  be  paid  an  annual 
salary  of  one  thousand  dollars,  payable  quarterly,  and  the 
marshal  of  the  United  States,  and  his  deputies,  and  the  attor- 
ney of  the  United  States  and  his  assistants  in  said  district, 
shall  be  paid  the  same  compensation  and  fees  as  are  now 
provided  by  law  for  like  services  in  said  district. 

SEC.  8.  That  all  costs  and  expenses  arising  in  cases  unaer 
this  Act,  and  properly  chargeable  to  the  United  States,  shall 
be  certified,  approved,  and  paid  as  like  costs  and  expenses  in 
the  courts  of  the  United  States  are  certified,  approved,  and 
paid  under  the  laws  of  the  United  States. 

SEC.  9.  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  shall  cause  to  be 
erected  in  the  park  a  suitable  building  to  be  used  as  a  jail, 
and  also  having  in  said  building  an  office  for  the  use  of  the 
commissioner,  the  cost  of  such  building  not  to  exceed  five 
thousand  dollars,  to  be  paid  out  of  any  moneys  in  the  Treas- 
ury not  otherwise  appropriated,  upon  the  certificate  of  the 
Secretary  as  a  voucher  therefor. 

SEC.  10.  That  this  act  shall  not  be  construed  to  repeal  ex- 
isting laws  conferring  upon  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and 
the  Secretary  of  War  certain  powers  with  reference  to  the 
protection,  improvement,  and  control  of  the  said  Yellowstone 
National  Park. 

Approved,  May  7,  1894. 


LEASES     IN     THE     YELLOWSTONE     NATIONAL 

PARK. 

AN  ACT  concerning  leases  in  the  Yellowstone   National   Park. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  Souse  of  Representatives  of  the 

United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  the  Secre- 


LEGISLATION    AND   REGULATIONS.  353 

tary  of  the  Interior  is  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to 
lease  to  any  person,  corporation,  or  company,  for  a  period  not 
exceeding  ten  years,  at  such  annual  rental  as  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  may  determine,  parcels  of  land  in  the  Yellow- 
stone National  Park,  of  not  more  than  ten  acres  in  extent  for 
each  tract,  and  not  in  excess  of  twenty  acres  in  all  to  any  one 
person,  corporation,  or  company,  on  which  maybe  erected  ho- 
tels and  necessary  out-buildings;  provided,  that  such  lease  or 
leases  shall  not  include  any  of  the  geysers  or  other  objects  of 
curiosity  or  interest  in  said  park,  or  exclude  the  public  from 
free  and  convenient  approach  thereto,  or  include  any  ground 
within  one-eighth  of  a  mile  of  any  of  the  geysers  or  the  Yel- 
lowstone Falls,  the  Grand  Canon,  or  the  Yellowstone  River, 
Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  or  any  object  of  curiosity  in  the 
park  ;  and  provided,  further,  that  such  leases  shall  not  con- 
vey, either  expressly  or  by  implication,  any  exclusive  privilege 
within  the  park  except  upon  the  premises  held  thereunder 
and  for  the  time,  therein  granted.  Every  lease  hereafter 
made  for  any  property  in  said  park  shall  require  the  lessee  to 
observe  and  obey  each  and  every  provision  in  any  Act  of 
Congress,  and  every  rule,  order,  or  regulation  made,  or  which 
may  hereafter  be  made  and  published  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  concerning  the  use,  care,  management,  or  government 
of  the  park,  or  any  object  or  property  therein,  under  penalty 
of  forfeiture  of  such  lease,  and  every  such  lease  shall  be  sub- 
ject to  the  right  of  revocation  and  forfeiture,  which  shall 
therein  be  reserved  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior;  and  pro- 
vided, further,  that  persons  or  corporations  now  holding  leases 
of  ground  in  the  park  may,  upon  the  surrender  thereof,  be 
granted  new  leases  hereunder,  and  upon  the  terms  and  stipu- 
lations contained  in  their  present  leases,  with  such  modifica- 
tions, restrictions,  and  reservations  as  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  may  prescribe. 

This  Act,  however,  is  not  to  be  construed  as  mandatory 


354  APPENDIX   B. 

upon  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  but  the  authority  herein 
given  is  to  be  exercised  in  his  sound  discretion. 

That  so  much  of  that  portion  of  the  Act  of  March  third, 
eighteen  hundred  and  eighty-three,  relating  to  the  Yellow- 
stone Park,  as  conflicts  with  this  Act,  be,  and  the  same  is 
hereby,  repealed. 

Approved,  August  3,  1894. 


RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  FOR  THE  GOVERN- 
MENT OF  THE  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL 
PARK. 

1895. 

[Promulgated  by  the  Secretary  of  the  interior.] 

RULES   AND  REGULATIONS  OF    THE    YELLOW- 
STONE NATIONAL  PARK. 

1.  It  is  forbidden  to  remove  or  injure  the  sediments  or  in- 
crustations around  the  geysers,  hot  springs,  or  steam  vents; 
or  to  deface  the  same  by  written  inscription  or  otherwise ;  or 
to  throw  any  substance  into  the  springs  or  geyser  vents ;  or  to 
injure  or  disturb,  in  any  manner,  or  to  carry  off  any  of  the 
mineral  deposits,  specimens,  natural  curiosities,  or  wonders 
within  the  park. 

2.  It  is  forbidden  to  ride  or  drive  upon  any  of  the  geyser 
or  hot  spring  formations,  or  to  turn  loose  stock  to  graze  in 
their  vicinity. 

3.  It  is  forbidden   to  cut  or  injure  any  growing  timber. 
Camping  parties  will  be  allowed  to  use  dead  or  fallen  timber 
for  fuel. 

4.  Fires  shall  be  lighted  only  when  necessary,  and  com- 
pletely extinguished  when  not  longer  required.     The  utmost 
care  should  be  exercised  at  all  times  to  avoid  setting  fire  to 
the  timber  and  grass,  and  any  one  failing  to  comply  therewith 
shall  be  peremptorily  removed  from  the  park. 


LEGISLATION    AND    REGULATIONS.  355 

5.  Hunting  or  killing,  wounding,  or  capturing  of  any  bird 
or  wild  animal,  except  dangerous  animals,  when  necessary 
to   prevent   them   from   destroying  life  or  inflicting   an    in- 
jury,   is   prohibited.       The   outfits,    including   guns,    traps, 
teams,  horses,  or  'means  of  transportation  used  by  persons  en- 
gaged  in    hunting,  killing,   trapping,  ensnaring,  or   captur- 
ing  such    birds   or  wild  animals,  or  in  possession   of  game 
killed  in  the  park  under  other  circumstances  than   prescribed 
above,  will  be  forfeited  to  the  United  States,  except  in  cases 
where  it  is  shown  by  satisfactory  evidence  that  the  outfit  is 
not  the  property  of  the  person  or  persons  violating  this  regu- 
lation, and  the  actual  owner  thereof  was  not  a  party  to  such 
violation.    Firearms  will  only  be  permitted  in  the  park  on  the 
written  permission  of  the  Superintendent  thereof.     On  arrival 
at  the  first  station  of  the  park  guard,  parties  having  firearms 
will  turn  them  over  to  the  sergeant  in  charge  of  the  station, 
taking  his  receipt  for  them.     They  will  be  returned  to  the 
owners  on  leaving  the  park. 

6.  Fishing  with  nets,  seines,  traps,  or  by  use  of  drugs  or 
explosives,  or  in  any  other  way  than  with  hook  and  line,  is 
prohibited.     Fishing  for  purposes  of  merchandise  or  profit  is 
forbidden  by  law.     Fishing  may  be  prohibited  by  order  of 
the  Superintendent  of  the  park  in  any  of  the  waters  of  the 
park,  or  limited  therein  to  any  specified  season  of  the  year, 
until  otherwise  ordered  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

7.  No  person  will  be  permitted  to  reside  permanently  or  to 
engage  in  any  business  in   the  park  without  permission,  in 
writing,  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior.     The  Superin- 
tendent may  grant  authority  to  competent  persons  to  act  as 
guides,  and  revoke  the  same  in  his  discretion,  and  no  pack 
trains  shall  be  allowed  in  the  park  unless  in  charge  of  a  duly 
registered  guide. 

8.  The  herding  or  grazing  of  loose  stock  or  cattle  of  any 
kind  within  the  park,  as  well  as  the  driving  of  such  stock  or 
cattle  over  the  roads  of  the  park,  is  strictly  forbidden,  except 


356  APPENDIX   B. 

in  such  cases  where  authority  therefor  is  granted  by  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Interior. 

9.  No  drinking  saloon  or  bar-room  will  be  permitted  within 
the  limits  of  the  park. 

10.  Private  notices  or  advertisements  shall  not  be  posted  or 
displayed  within  the  park,  except  such  as  may  be  necessary 
for  the  convenience  and  guidance  of  the  public,  upon  buildings 
on  leased  ground. 

11.  Persons  who  render  themselves  obnoxious  by  disorderly 
conduct  or  bad  behavior,  or  who  violate  any  of  the  foregoing 
rules,  will  be  summarily  removed  from  the  park,  and  will  not 
be  allowed  to  return  without  permission  in  writing  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  or  the  Superintendent  of  the  Park. 

Any  person  who  violates  any  of  the  foregoing  regulations 
will  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  be  subjected  to 
a  fine,  as  provided  by  the  Act  of  Congress,  approved  May  7, 
1894,  "to  protect  the  birds  and  animals  in  Yellowstone  Na- 
tional Park,  and  to  punish  crimes  in  said  park,  and  for  other 
purposes,"  of  not  more  than  one  thousand  dollars  or  imprison- 
ment not  exceeding  two  years,  or  both,  and  be  adjudged  to 
pay  all  costs  of  the  proceedings. 

HOKE  SMITH, 

Secretary  oj  the  Interior. 


APPROPRIATIONS.  357 


APPENDIX  C. 


APPROPRIATIONS     FOR    THE    YELLOWSTONE     NATIONAL   PARK. 

Act  June  20,  1878.     To  protect,  preserve,  and  improve 

the  Park $10,000  00 

"    Mar.     3,  1879.     To  protect,  preserve,  and  improve' 

the  Park 10,000  00 

"    June  16,  1880.     To  protect,  preserve,  and  improve 

the  Park 15,000  00 

"    Mar.     3,  1881.    To  protect,  preserve,  and  improve 

the  Park 15,000  00 

"    Mar.     3,1881.     Deficiency  for  1880 8976 

"    Aug.    5,1882.  "  "     1881 15500 

"    Aug.     7,  1882.     For  protection  and  improvement 

of  Park 15,000  00 

"    Aug.     7,  1882.     To  reimburse    P.   W.    Norris  for 

salary  and  expenses,  April  18, 

1877,  to  June  30,  1878 3,180  41 

"    Mar.     3,  1883.     For  protection  and  improvement 

of  Park 40,000  00 

"    July     7,  1884.     For  protection  and  improvement 

of  Park 40,000  00 

"    Mar.     3,  1885.     For  protection  and  improvement 

of  Park 40,000  00 

Joint  Resolution  of 
July  1  and  July 
15,  1886 Compensation  of  Superintendent 

and    employes    for    month    of 

July,  1886 934  25 

Act  Aug.     4,  1886.     For    construction    of    roads    and 

bridges 20,000  00 

"   Mar.    3,  1887.    For    construction    of    roads    and 

bridges 20,000  00 


358  APPENDIX    C. 

Act  Oct.  2,  1888.  For  construction  of  roads  and 

bridges $25,000  00 

"  Mar.  2,  1889.  For  construction  of  roads  and 

bridges 50,000  00 

"  Aug.  30,  1890.  For  construction  of  roads  and 

bridges 75,000  00 

"  Sept.  30,  1890.  Reimbursement  of  Superintend- 
ent Conger 169  37 

"  Mar.  3,  1891.  For  construction  of  roads  and 

bridges 75,000  00 

"  Aug.  5,  1892.  For  construction  of  roads  and 

bridges 45,000  00 

"  Mar.  3,  1893.  For  construction  of  roads  and 

bridges 30,000  00 

"  May  4,  1894.  For  erection  of  court-house  and 

jail 5,000  00 

"  Aug.  18,  1894.  For  construction  of  roads  and 

bridges 30,000  00 

"  Aug.  18,  1894.  For  salary  of  Commissioner  pro- 
vided by  Act  of  May  4,  1894.. .  1,000  00 

"  Mar.  2,  1895.  For  construction  of  roads  and 

bridges 30,000  00 

"    Mar.     2,  1895.     For  salary  of  Commissioner 1,000  00 

"  Mar.  2,  1895.  For.  reimbursement  of  John  W. 

Meldrum..  385  75 


Total $596,914  54 

Receipts  from  leases $8,358  94 

Expenditures  from  same 4,053  45 

Balance 4,305  4& 


Outlay  for  23  years $592,609  05 

Average  annual  outlay  less  than 25,000  00 


LIST    OF    SUPERINTENDENTS. 


APPENDIX  D. 


LIST    OF    SUPERINTENDENTS  OF    THE  YELLOWSTONE    NATIONAL 

PARK. 


Name. 
Nathaniel  P.  Langford. 


Philetus  W.  Norris. 


Patrick  H.  Conger. . 


Robert  E.  Carpenter... 


Length  of  Service.  Compensation. 

Appointed  May  10, 
1872 ;  removed  April 
18,  18'77 No  compensation. 

Appointed     April    18, 

1877 Do. 

Commissioned  July  5, 
1878;  removed  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1882 $1,500  per  annum. 

Commissioned  Febru- 
ary 2,  1882;  resigned 
July  28,  1884 $2,000  per  annum. 

Commissioned  August 
4, 1884;  removed  May 

29,  1885 Do. 

David  W.  Wear Commissioned  May  29, 

1885.  Congress  failed 
to  appropriate  for  of- 
fice from    August  1, 

1886.' Do. 

Acting  Superintendent 
of  Park.  August  10, 

1886,  detailed  by  Sec- 
retary of  War,  in  pur- 
suance of  Act  March 
3,  1883  (22  Statutes, 
627).     Relieved  from 

duty  June  1,  1889. .  .No  compensation 
other  than  army 
pay. 


Capt.  Moses  Harris. . 


360  APPENDIX    D. 

Name.  Length  of  Service.  Compensation. 
Capt.  F.  A.  Boutelle. . . .  Acting  Superintendent 
of  Park ;  assigned 
June  1,  1889,  reliev- 
ing Capt.  Moses  Har- 
ris   No  compensation 

other  than  army 
pay. 

Capt.  Geo.  S.  Anderson.  Acting  Superintendent 
of  Park ;  assigned 
January  21,  1891,  re- 
lieving Capt.  F.  A. 
Boutelle.. .  Do. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    tiTC.  361 


APPENDIX   E. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY   OF    THE    LITERATURE    OF    THE    YELLOWSTONE 
NATIONAL   PARK. 

The  following  bibliography  is  intended  to  contain  the  names 
of  such  books  and  magazine  articles  in  the  English  language 
as  treat  in  whole  or  in  part  of  the  Yellowstone  National  Park. 
It  does  not  include  references  in  encyclopedias  or  school  text- 
books, nor,  with  few  exceptions,  articles  from  the  daily  or 
weekly  journals.  Those  who  desire  to  consult  the  more  gen- 
eral literature  relating  to  the  geysers  and  hot  springs  of  the 
world  are  referred  to  the  excellent  work  of  Dr.  A.  C.  Peale, 
published  in  1883,  in  the  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  Dr. 
Hayden,  pp.  427-449. 

The  present  list  is  carefully  indexed  under  the  more  promi- 
nent words  of  the  titles  and  under  the  names  of  the  authors; 
but  the  full  title  of  each  work  is  given  only  once.  To  pass 
from  any  other  reference  to  the  corresponding  full  title,  note 
the  number  following  the  reference  and  look  for  the  title 
which  is  preceded  by  the  same  number.  The  abbreviation 
"  Y.  N.  P."  is  for  "  Yellowstone  National  Park." 


1.  Action    of    Geysers.      Westmiiuter   Review,    vol.    Ixvii, 
p.  207. 

Allen,  C.  J.,  6. 

2.  American  Big  Game  Hunting.     The  Book  of  the  Booue 
and    Crockett    Club,  vol.    i.     Editors,  Theodore    Roosevelt 
and  George  Bird  Grinnell.     New  York.     Forest  and  Stream 
Publishing  Company.     1893.     Contains  numerous  references 


362  APPENDIX    E. 

to  the  Y.  N.  P.  and  an   article  entitled  "The  Yellowstone 
Park  as  a  Game  Preserve,"  by  Arnold  Hague. 

3.  Among  the  Geysers  of  the  Yellowstone.     E.  .Roberts. 
In  his  Shoshone.     New  York.    Harper  Brothers.     1888.    pp. 
202-245. 

4.  Analyses  of  some  Geyser  Deposits.    By  Henry  Leffmaun. 
Chemical  News.     London,  vol.  xliii,  p.  124. 

5.  Analyses  of  the  Waters  of  the  Y.  N".  P.     By  Frank  A. 
Gooch   and  James   E.    Whitfield,   Bulletin   No.    47,  U.   S. 
Geological  Survey,  Washington  :   Government  Printing  Of- 
fice.    1888. 

Anderson,  G.  S.,  8,  24,  61. 

6.  Annual  Reports  of  Officers  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers  in 
charge  of  the  Construction  of  Roads  and  Bridges.    Including, 
to  the  present  time,  reports  by  Lieutenant  (now  Captain)  D. 
C.  Kingman,  Captain  (now  Major)  C.  B.  Sears,  Major  Charles 
J.  Allen,  Lieutenant  W.  E.  Craighill,  Major  (now  Lieutenant- 
Colonel)  W.  A.  Jones,  and  Lieutenant  (now  Captain)  H.  M. 
Chittendeu.     Washington:  Government  Printing  Office. 

7.  Annual  Reports  of  Secretaries  of  the  Interior,  from  1871 
to   the   present  time.     Washington :    Government   Printing 
Office. 

8.  Annual  Reports  of  Superintendents  of  the  Park.     In- 
cluding, to  the  present  time,  reports  by  N.  P.  Langford,  P. 
W.  Norris,  P.  H.  Conger,  D.  W.  Wear,  Captain  (now  Major, 
retired)  Moses  Harris,  Captain  F.  A.  Boutelle,  and  Captain 
George   S.  Anderson.     Washington :    Government  Printing 
Office. 

9.  Annual  Report  (Fifth :  1871)  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey   of  the   Territories.     By  Dr.   F.    V.    Hayden,  with 
sub-reports  by  A.  C.  Peale,  Joseph  Leidy  and  T.  C.  Porter. 
Washington  :  Government  Printing  Office.     1872. 

10.  Annual  Report  (Sixth  :   1872)  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey  of  the  Territories.     By  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden,  with  sub- 
reports  by  Dr.  A.  C.  Peale,  F.  H.  Bradley,  C.  H.  Merriam, 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  363 

Henry  Gannett,  J.  M.  Coulter  and  N.  P.  Langford.     Wash- 
ington :  Government  Printing  office.     1873. 

11.  Annual  Report  (Twelfth:  1878)  of  the  U.  S.  Geologi- 
cal and  Geographical  Survey  of  the  Territories.     By  Dr.  F. 
V.  Hay  den,  with  sub-reports  by  W.  H.  Holmes,  Dr.  A.  C. 
Peale    and    Henry    Gannett.       Washington :     Government 
Printing   Office.     1883.     This   report    contains   Dr.    Peale's 
exhaustive  treatise  upon  the  thermal  phenomena  of  the  park; 
his   general   treatise  on  the  hot  springs  and   geysers  of  the 
world,  and   his   elaborate   bibliography   pertaining   to   these 
subjects. 

12.  Annual  Reports  of  the  United  States  Geological  Sur- 
vey.    The  serial  numbers  of  these  reports  begin  with  June 
30,  1880,  the  first  report  being  for  the  year  ending  at  that 
time.     Nearly  all  these  reports  contain  valuable  references  to 
the  Park,  most  of  them  being  from  the  pen  of  Prof.  Arnold 
Hague.     One  article  of  great  importance,  by  Walter  Harvey 
Weed  (Ninth  Annual  Report,   1888,  pp.  613-676),  on  the 
formation  of   hot   springs   deposits   through   the  agency  of 
vegetable  growth,  deserves  particular  notice.     Washington  : 
Government  Printing  Office. 

13.  Aquatic   Invertebrate   Fauna  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  Pre- 
liminary Report  upon.    S.  A.  Forbes.  Bulletin  United  States 
Fish  Commission   for  1891,  p.  215.  Washington  :  Govern- 
ment Printing  Office.     1893. 

Arthur,  Chester  A.,  66. 

14.  Ascent  of  Mt.  Hayden.     N.  P.  Langford.     Scnbner's 
(Old)  Monthly,  vol.  vi,  p.  129. 

15.  Astoria. — Washington  Irving. — Chapter  xv  contains 
a  reference  to  John  Colter. 

Attractions  of  the  Y.  N.  P. ,  96. 

16.  Attractions   of  the   Y.    N.  P.     Kansas    City   Review. 
April  1880,  p.  743. 

17.  Autumn  in  the  Yellowstone  Park.     L.  Rutgers.     In 


3t>4  APPENDIX    E. 

his    On   and   off   the   Saddle.     New    York:    Putnam,   1894, 
pp.  1-19. 

Barlow,  Captain  J.  W.,  94. 

18.  Battle  of  the  Big  Hole.     G.  O.  Shields.     Chicago  and 
New    York:    Rand,    McNally    &    Company.     1889.     Con- 
tains an  account  of  the  Nez  Perce  Campaign. 

Beam,  Wm.,  21. 

19.  Bicycle  Tour  of  the  Y.  N.  P.     First.     W.  O.  Owen. 
Outing,  vol.  xviii  p.  191. 

20.  Black  Hills,  The,  and  American  Wonderland.     H.  N. 
Maguire.      The  Lakeside  Library,  vol.  iv,  p.  298. 

21.  Bonneville,  Captain,  The  Adventures  of.     Washington 
Irving.     Chapter  xxiii  contains  a  reference  to  John   Colter, 
the  Stinkingwater  River,  and  to  "  Colter's  Hell." 

22.  Botanical  Observations  in  Western  Wyoming.     C.  C. 
Parry.     American  Naturalist,  vol.  viii,  pp.  9,  102,  175,211. 

Boutelle,  Capt.  F.  A.,  8. 
Brackett,  W.  S. ,  63. 
Bradbury,  J.,  115. 
Bradley,  F.  H.,  10. 
Brockett,  G.  P.,  152 
Brown,  R.,  125. 
Bunce,  O.  B.,  83. 
Butler,  J.  D.,65. 

23.  Calumet  of  the  Coteau.     P.  W.  Norris.     Philadelphia : 
J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.,  1883. 

24.  Camping  in  the  Y.  N.  P.     Captain  Geo.  S.  Anderson. 
Youth's  Companion,  October  17,  1895,  p.  488.     Gives  exhaust- 
ive directions  for  those  desiring  to  camp  through  the  Park. 

Catlin,  George,  62. 
Chittenden,  H.  M.,  6,  98. 

25.  Chronicles  of  the  Yellowstone.     E.  S.  Topping.     St. 
Paul:     Pioneer  Press  Company.     1883. 

Commissioner  of  Fish  and  Fisheries,  Report  of,  91. 
Comstock,  T.  B.,  45,  90,  118,  141. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  365 

Conger,  P.  H.,  8. 

26.  Congressional  Reports  (only  the  more  important) : 

To  accompany  House  Bill  764  (Act  of  Dedication), 
42d  Cong.,  2d  Session. 

Report  of  a  Special  Committee  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives appointed  by  the  Speaker  on  the  4th 
day  of  March,  1885,  to  investigate,  among  other 
things,  the  Y.  N.  P.  House  Report  No.  1,076, 
49th  Cong.,  1st  Sess.,  pp.  245-270. 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Lands  on  the 
administration  of  the  Y.  N.  P.  in  compliance  with 
House  resolution  of  April  8,  1892.  House  Re- 
port No.  1,956,  52d  Cong.,  1st  Sess.,  pp.  295. 

Adverse  Repport  on  the  admission  of  steam  railways 
within  the  Park.  House  Report  No.  1,386,  53d 
Cong.,  2d  Sess. 

Adverse  Report  on  the  admission  of  electric  railways 
within  the  Park.  House  Report  No.  1,387,  53d 
Cong.,  2d  Sess. 

Adverse  Report  on  Segregation  project  and  change 
of  boundaries.  House  Report  No.  1,763,  53d 
Cong.,  3d  Sess. 

27.  Contributions  to  the  Geological  Chemistry  of  the  Y. 
N.  P.     Henry  Leffmann  and  Wm.  Beam.     American  Journal 
of  Science.     3d  series,  vol.  xxv,  p.  104. 

28.  Cooke  City  versus   the   National   Park.     New  York : 
Forest  and  Stream,  December  8,  1892,  p.  16. 

Cope,  E.  D.,  145. 

Corps  of  Engineers,  Officers  of,  Annual  Reports  of,  6. 

Coues,  Elliott,  57. 

Coulter,  J.  M.,  10. 

Craighill,  W.  E.,  6. 

Dana,  E.  8.,  89.  ^ 

De  Lacy,  W.,  72,  114. 

De  Vallibus,  132. 


366  APPENDIX    E. 

Don ne,  G.  C.,  136. 
Donaldson,  T.,  87. 
Driscoll,  C.  F.,  142. 
Dudley,  W.  H.,  159. 
Dunraven,  Earl  of,  53. 

29.  Earth,  The,  and  its  Inhabitants.     Elisee  Eeclus.     Vol. 
iii.      New   York :     D.   Applet >n   &    Co.      1893.     Contains 
numerous  references  to  the  Y.  N.  P. 

Eccles,  James,  70,  99. 
Eldridge,  G.  H.,  44. 

30.  Elk  Hunt,  An,  at  Two-Ocean  Pass.     Theodore  Roose- 
velt.    The  Century,  vol.  xliv,  p.  713. 

Ellsworth,  Spencer,  86. 

31.  Enchanted   Land,  The,  or  an  October  Ramble  among 
the  Geysers,  etc.,  of  the  Y.  N.  P.     Illustrated.     8vo.  pp.  48. 
Paper.     R.  E.  Strahorn.     Omaha.     1881. 

Evermanu,  B.  W.,  91. 
Everts,  T.  C.,  110. 

32.  Expedition  through  the  Big  Horn   Mountains,  Y.  N. 
P.,  etc.,  in  1881.    Report  by  Lieutentant-General  P.  H.  Sheri- 
dan, with  sub-reports  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  F.  Gregory, 
A.  D.  C.,  Surgeon  W.  H.  Forwood,  U.  S.   A.,  and  Captain 
S.  C.  Kellogg,  U.  S.  A.     Washington  :     Government  Print- 
ing Office.     1882. 

33.  Expedition  to  the  Yellowstone.     Ancdectic  Magazine, 
vol.  xv,  pp.  293,  347. 

34.  Exploration  of  Parts  of  Wyoming,  Idaho,  and  Mon- 
tana, in  1882.     Report  by  Lieutenant-General  P.  H.  Sheri- 
dan, with  sub-reports  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  F.  Gregory, 
A.  D.  C.,  and  Surgeon  W.  H.  Forwood,  U.   S.  A.     Wash- 
ington :     Government  Printing  Office.     1882. 

35.  Exploration    of   the   Yellowstone    and    the    Country 
drained  by  that  River.     W.  F.  Ray n olds,  Brevet  Brigadier- 
General  U.  S.  A.     Sen.  Ex.  Doc.  No.  77,  40th  Cong.,  1st 
Sess.     On  page  10  is  a  reference  to  the  geyser  regions. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  367 

36.  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone.  Howard  O'Neil.     Southern 
Magazine,  vol.  ix.,  p.  219. 

37.  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone.  Moses  Thatcher.      The  Con- 
tributor.    Salt  Lake  City.     Vol.  v,  p.  140. 

Ferris,  G.  T.,  84. 

38.  Fifth  Avenue  to  Alaska.     Edward  Pierrepont.     New 
York :     G.    P.   Putnam  Sons,   1884,  p.    237.     Printed  for 
private  circulation  only. 

Folsom,D.  E.,  119. 

Forbes,  S.  A.,  13. 

Forest  Reservation,  The  Y.  N.  P.  as  a,  157. 

Forwood,  W.  H.,  32,  34. 

39.  Fossil  Forests  of  the  Volcanic  Tertiary  Formations  of 
the  Y.  N.  P.     W.  H.  Holmes.     Bulletin  United  States  Geo- 
logical Survey,  vol.  v,  p.    125.      Washington:     Government 
Printing  Office.     1879. 

40.  Fossil  Forests   of  the  Yellowstone.     Walter  Harvey 
Weed.     School  of  Mines  Quarterly,  vol.  xiii,  no.  3. 

41.  Fossil  Forests  of  the  Yellowstone.     Prof.  Samuel  E. 
Tillman.     United  States  Military  Academy.     Popular  Science 
Monthly,  vol.  xliii,  p.  301,  July,  1893. 

42.  Fossil  Forests  of  the   Yellowstone.     Prof.   Frank  H. 
Knowlton,  P.  H.  D.     The  Epoch,  vol.  i,  no.  1,  p.  18.     April, 
1895. 

Francis,  E.,  49. 
Frankland,  E.?  143. 
Game  Exploration,  Y.  N.  P.,  158. 
Game  Preserve,  The  Y.  N.  P.  as  a,  2. 
Gannett,  H.,  10,  11,  153. 
Geike,  A.,  48. 

Geological  Chemistry  of  the  Y.  N.  P.     Contributions  to 
the,  27. 

43.  Geological  History  of  the  Y.  N.  P.     Arnold  Hague. 
Transactions  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  vol.  xvi, 
1888.     Also  in  Smithsonian  Report  for  1892,  p.  133. 


368  APPENDIX    E. 

44.  Geological  Reconnaissance  in  North-western  Wyoming. 
George  Romans  Eldridge.     Bulletin  119,  United  States  Geo- 
olgical  Survey.     Washington:     Government  Printing  Office. 
1894. 

45.  Geology  of  Western   Wyoming.     Theo.  B.  Comsiock. 
American  Journal  of  Science.     3d  series,  vol.  vi,  p.  426. 

Geyser  Deposits,  Analyses  of,  4. 
Geyserland,  Pilgrimage  to,  86. 
Geysers,  Action  of,  1. 

46.  Geysers  and  how  they  are  explained.    Joseph  Le  Conte. 
Popular  Science  Monthly,  vol.  xii,  p.  407. 

47.  Geysers,  Comparisons  of.     A.  C.  Peale.     Science,  vol. 
ii,  p.  101. 

48.  Geysers  of  the  Yellowstone.     Archibald  Geike.     Mac- 
millan,  vol.  xliv,  p.  421.     Same  article,  Appleton's  Journal, 
vol.  xxvi,  p.  538  ;  and  Eclectic  Magazine,  vol.  xcviii,  p.  124. 

49.  Geysers  of  the  Yellowstone.     E.  Francis.     Nineteenth 
Century,  vol.  xi,  p.  369.     Same  article  in  Living  Age,  vol. 
cliii,  p.  31,  and  Eclectic  Magazine,  vol.  xcviii,  p.  598. 

Geysers  of  the  Yellowstone,  Among  the,  3. 
Geyser  Regions,  The  World's,  134. 
Geysers,  Soaping,  102,  103, 104. 

50.  Gigantic  "  Pleasuring  Ground,"  A.      Nature,  vol.  vi, 
pp.  397,  437. 

51.  Glacial  Phenomena  in  the  Y.  N.  P.     W.  H.  Holmes. 
American  Naturalist,  vol.  xv,  p.  203. 

52.  Gold  Hunt  on  the  Yellowstone,  A.     Edward  B.  Neal- 
ley.     Lippincott's,  vol.  ix,  p.  204. 

Gooch,  F.  A.,  5. 

53.  Great   Divide,    The.     Earl   of   Dunraven.     London : 
Chatto  and  Windus.     1876. 

54.  Great  West,  The.     A  Journal  of  Rambles  over  Moun- 
tain and  Plain.     P.  W.  Norris.     A  long  series  of  articles  un- 
der the  above  title  appeared  in  the  Norris  Suburban  in  1876, 
'7,  '8.     They  deal  largely  with  the  Y.  N.  P.,  and  contain 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  369 

much  of  historic  value.  Norris  subsequently  rearranged  and 
extended  these  articles  with  a  view  to  publication  in  book 
form ;  but  death  interrupted  his  purpose.  The  manuscript  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  William  Hallett  Phillips,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

Gregory,  J.  F.,  32,  34,  66. 

Grinnell,  G.  B.,  2,  61,  89. 

55.  Grotto  Geyser,  The.     F.  V.  Hayden.     Washington : 
Government  Printing  Office.     1876. 

56.  Guide  Books  of  the  Y.  N.  P.     The  guide  books  of  the 
Park  are  numerous  ;  but  as  they  are  all  similar  in  character, 
and  generally  supplanted  by  the  latest  issue,  it  seems  unnec- 
essary to  give  a  full  list  of  them.     Among  those  who  have 
prepared  guides  or  manuals  of  the  Park,  of  practical  value  to 
the  tourist,  may  be  mentioned  H.  J.  Norton,  P.  W.  Norris, 
Henry  J.  Winser,  G.  L.  Henderson,  W.  W.  &  S.  K.  Wiley, 
W.  C.  Riley,  F.  J.  Haynes,  A.  B.  Guptill,  and  the  Northern 
Pacific  and  Union  Pacific  Railway  Companies.     The  leading 
authorities  at  the  present  time  are  Haynes'  (St.  Paul)  Guide 
Book  and  O.  D.  Wheeler's  (N.  P.  R.  R.)  "  Wonderland"  Se- 
ries.    See  "  Wonderland  Series." 

Guunisou,  J.  W.,  77. 
Guptill,  A.  B.,  56,148. 

Hague,  Arnold,  2,  12,  43,  67,  102,  154,  156,  157. 
Harris,  Moses,  8. 
Harrison,  Carter,  107. 

Hayden,  F.  V.,  9,  10,  11,  55,  59,  60,  117,  127,  128,  140, 
160. 

Hayden,  Mt.,  Ascent  of,  14. 
Haynes,  F.  J.,  56,  66,  162. 
Heap,  D.  P.,  94 
Hedges,  C.,  137. 
Henderson,  G.  L. ,  56,  161. 
Heizman,  C.  L.,  90,  108. 

57.  History  of  the  Expeditions  under  the  Command  of 


370  APPENDIX  E. 

Lewis  and  Clark,  to  the  Sources  of  the  Missouri  River,  thence 
across  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  down  the  Columbia  River  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  Performed  during  Jhe  Years  1804-5-6, 
by  Order  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  Elliott 
Coues.  4  vols.  New  York:  Francis  P.  Harper.  1893. 
Pages  283,  1153,  1154,  1181,  and  1182  contain  references  to 
the  Y.  N.  P. 
Holmes,  \V.  H.,  11,  39,  51,  82. 

58.  Horseback  Rides  through  the  Y.  N.  P.    H.  J.  Norton. 
Virginia  City,  Mont.     1874.     The  first  real  guide  book  of  the 
Park. 

59.  Hot  Springs  and  Geysers  of  the  Yellowstone  and  Fire- 
hole  Rivers.     F.  V.  Haydeu.     American  Journal  of  Science, 
vol.  ciii,  pp.  105,  161. 

60.  Hot  Springs  of  the  Y.  N.  P.     F.  V.  Hayden.     In 
The    Great    West,   Philadelphia:    Franklin    Publishing    Co 
1880. 

Hough,  E.,  158. 
Howard,  O.  O.,  79,  81. 
Hoyt,  J.  W.,  93. 

61.  Hunting  in  Many  Lands.     Book  of  the  Boone  and 
Crockett   Club.     Vol.  ii.     Editors,  Theodore  Roosevelt  and 
George  Bird  Grinnell.     New  York:  Forest  and  Stream  Pub- 
lishing Company.     1895.     Contains  an  article  by  Captain  G. 
S.  Anderson,  6th  U.  S.  Cavalry,  on  "Protection  in  the  Y. 
N.  P.,  and  one  by  the  Editors  on  "The  Yellowstone  Park  Pro- 

,  tective  Act." 

Iddings,  J.  P.,  156. 

62.  Illustrations  of  the  Manners,  Customs,  aud  Condition 
of  the  North  American   Indians.     George   Catlin.     2  vols. 
London:    Henry   G.    Bohn.     1857.      Pages  261-2   contain 
reference  to  Catlin's  Park  project.     Published  also  in  New 
York.     1841. 

63.  Indian  Remains  on  the  Upper  Yellowstone.     William 
S.  Brackett.     Smithsonian  Institute  Report  for  1892,  p.  577. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  371 

64.  Inspection  Made  in  the  Summer  of  1877  by  Generals 
P.  H.  Sheridan  and  W.  T.  Sherman.     Contains  letters  from 
General  Sherman  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  reports  by  Gen- 
eral Sheridan,  Colonel  O.  M.  Poe,  and  other  officers.     Wash- 
ington :  Government  Printing  Office.     1878. 

Irving,  Washington,  15,  21. 

65.  John  Colter.    Professor  J.  D.  Butler.    Magazine  Amer- 
ican History,  vol.  xii,  no.  1,  p.  83. 

Jones,  W.  A.,  6,  90. 
Jones,  W.  P.,  153. 
Jordan,  D.  S.,  92,  150. 
Joseph,  Nez  Perce,  81. 

66.  Journey  through  the  Yellowstone  National  Park  and 
North-western  Wyoming.     1883.     Photographs  of  Party  and 
Scenery  along  the  Route  Traveled,  and  Copies  of  the  Asso- 
ciated Press  Dispatches  sent  whilst  En  Route.     Washington  : 
Government  Printing  Office. 

This  book,  of  which  only  twelve  copies  were  ever  made,  is 
the  record  of  the  journey  of  President  Arthur  through  the 
Park  as  the  guest  of  Lieutenant-General  Sheridan  in  1883. 
The  dispatches  were  mostly  written  by  Lieteuant-Colonel  M. 
V.  Sheridan,  Military  Secretary,  and  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
James  F.  Gregory,  Aide-de-Camp ;  but  at  least  one  dispatch 
was  written  by  each  of  the  other  members  of  the  party,  ex- 
cept the  President.  All  the  dispatches  were  read  to  and  ap- 
proved by  the  President  before  being  sent.  No  newspaper 
correspondent  accompanied  the  expedition.  The  photographs, 
which  form  an  important  feature  of  the  book,  were  taken  by 
F.  J.  Haynes,  who  accompanied  the  party. 

Kellogg,  S.  C.,  32. 

Kingman,  D.  C.,  6. 

Knowlton,  F.  H.,  42. 

Koch,  Peter,  144. 

Langford,  N.  P.,  8,  10,  14,  119,  120,  129,  137. 


372  APPENDIX    E. 

Le  Conte,  Joseph,  46. 

Leffmann,  Henry,  4,  27. 

Leidy,  Joseph,  9. 

Lewis  and  Clark,  57. 

Liederkranz  Expedition  to  the  Y.  N.  P.,  159. 

Liiiton,  Edwin,  85. 

Ludlow,  William,  89. 

Maguire,  H.  N.,  20. 

67.  Map  of  the  North-west,  An  Early.     Arnold  Hague. 
Science,  vol.  x,  p.  217. 

68.  Map  of  the  Y.  N.  P.     Science,  vol.  xi,  p.  255. 

69.  Marvels  of  the  Yellowstone.     Leisure  Hour,  vol.  xxi, 
p.  134. 

Merriam,  C.  H.,  10. 

70.  Microscopical  Character  of  Vitreous  Rocks  of  Montana. 
Frank  Rutley  and  James  Eccles.     Quarterly  Journal  Geological 
Society,  London,  vol.  xxxvii,  p.  391. 

71.  Military  Road  from  Fort  Walla  Walla  to  Fort  Benton, 
Report  on  Construction  of.     Captain  John  Mullan,  U.  S.  A. 
Washington :     Government  Printing  Office.     1863.     Pages 
19  and  53  refer  to  geysers  and  hot  springs  near  the  Upper 
Yellowstone. 

72.  Mineral  Resources  of  the  States  and  Territories.     Ros- 
siter   W.    Raymond.     Washington:     Government   Printing 
Office.     1869.     Page  142  quotes  W.  W.  De  Lacy  in  regard 
to  hot  springs  on  the  Firehole  and  Snake  Rivers. 

73.  Mineral  Springs  of  the  United   States.     A.  C.  Peale. 
Bulletin  No.  32,  United  States  Geological  Survey.     Wash- 
ington :     Government  Printing  Office. 

74.  Mineral  Springs  of  the  United  States.     A.  C.  Peale. 
Popular  Science  Monthly,  vol.  xxx,  p.  711. 

75.  Mineral  Springs  of  the  United  States  and  Canada.    G. 
E.  Walton.     Popular  Science  Monthly,  vol.  iii,  p.  515. 

76.  Mineral    Waters    of    the   Y.    N.    P.     A.    C.    Peale. 
Science,  vol.  xvii,  p.  36. 


^     BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  373 

Mitchell,  S.  W.,112. 

Montana  Historical  Society,  Transactions  of,  114. 

77.  Mormons  or  Latter  Day  Saints,  A  History  of.     Captain 
J.    W.    Gnnnison,    U.    S.    A.      Philadelphia :      Lippincott, 
Grarabo  &  Co.     1852.     Also  Philadelphia:     J.  B.  Lippiu- 
cott  &  Co.     1856.     Page  151  contains  a  reference  to  Bridger's 
knowledge  of  the  geyser  regions. 

Mullan,  John,  71. 

National  Park,  Our  Great,  83. 

Nealley,  E.  B.,  52. 

78.  New  North-west,  The.     The  Century,  vol.  xxiv,  p.  504. 
•  79.  Nez  Perce  Campaign,  The,  Reports  of  General  Howard 

and  other  officers    upon.     Vol.  i,   Reports  of  Secretary  of 
War  for  1877.     Washington  :     Government  Printing  Office. 
1877. 
Nez  Perce  Campaign,  The,  18,  79,  80,  81. 

80.  Nez  Perce  Indians,  Report  of  Civil  and  Military  Com- 
mission to  inquire  into  Grievances  of.     Vol.  i,  Report  of  Sec- 
retary of  the  Interior  for  1877,  p.  607.     Nez  Perce  War- de- 
scribed on  pp.  405-409,  same  volume.     Washington  :     Gov- 
ernment Printing  Office.     1877. 

81.  Nez  Perce  Joseph.     History  of  the  Nez  Perce  Cam- 
paign of  1877.     General  O.  O.  Howard.     Boston.     Lee  and 
Shepard.     1881. 

Norris,  P.  W.,  8,  23,  54,  56. 
Northern  Pacific  Railway  Co.,  56,  126. 
Norton,  H.  J.,  56,  58. 

82.  Notes  on  an  Extensive  Deposit  of  Obsidian   in  the  Y. 
N.  P.     W.  H.  Holmes.     American  Naturalist,  vol.  xiii,  p.  247. 

Obsidian  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  82. 
O'Neil,  H.,  36. 

83.  Our  Great  National  Park.    O.  B.  Bunce.    In  Picturesque 
America;  or,  the  Land  we  Live  in,  vol.  i,  p.  292.     New  York  : 
D.  Appleton  &  Co.     1872. 

84.  Our  Native  Land,  or  Glances  at   American   Scenery 


374  APPENDIX    E. 

aud  Places.     George  T.  Ferris.     New  York :     D.  Appleton 
&Co.,  1886,  pp.  148-178. 

Overhead  Sounds  in  the  Vicinity  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake. 
S.  A.  Forbes.  Page  215,  Preliminary  Report  on  Aquatic  In- 
vertebrate Fauna,  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  13. 

85.  Overhead  Sounds  in  the  Vicinity  of  the  Yellowstone 
Lake.     Edwin  Linton.     Science,  vol.  xxii,  No.  561,  p.  244. 

Owen,  \V.  O.,  19. 

Parry,  C.  C.,  22,  90. 

Peale,  A.  C.,  9,  10,  11,  47,  73,  74,  76,  109,  134. 

Peck,  J.  K.,  155. 

Pierrepont,  Edward,  38. 

86.  Pilgrimage  to  Geyserland.    Spencer  Ellsworth.    Lacon, 
111.     1883. 

Poe,  O.  M.,  64. 

Porter,  R.  P.,  153. 

Porter,  T.  C.,  9. 

Protection  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  61. 

Protective  Act,  Y.  N.  P.,  61. 

87.  Public   Domain,   The.      Its   History   with    Statistics. 
Thomas    Doualdsen.      Washington:     Government    Printing 
Office,  1884,  p.  1294. 

88.  Rambles  in  Wonderland.     Edwin  J.  Stanley.     New 
York :     D.  Appleton  &  Co.     1873. 

Raymond,  R.  W.,  72,  104,  105,  106,  130. 
Raynolds,  W.  F.,  35. 
Reel  us,  £lis6e,  29. 

89.  Reconnaissance  from  Carroll,  Montana,  to  the  Y.  N.  P. 
Captain  (now  Lieutenant-Colonel)  Wm.  Ludlow,  Corps  of  En- 
gineers, U.  S.  A.,  with  sub-reports  by  George  Bird  Grinnell 
and  Edward  S.  Dana.     Appendix  N  N,  Chief  of  Engineers' 
Report  for  1876.     Washington  :  Government  Printing  Office. 
1876.    Also  published  separately  in  quarto,  155  pages.     1876. 

90.  Reconnaissance  of  North-western  Wyoming,  including 
the  Y.  N.  P.,  made  in  the  summer  of  1873.     Captain  W. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  375 

A.  Jones,  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  with  sub-reports  by 
Prof.  Theo.  B.  Comstock,  Dr.  C.  L.  Heizrnan,  U.  S.  A.,  and 
Dr.  C.  C.  Parry.  Washington:  Government  Printing 
Office.  1875. 

91.  Reconnaissance  of  the  Streams  and  Lakes  of  Western 
Montana  and  North-western  Wyoming.     Barton   W.  Ever- 
mann.     In  Report  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Fish 
and  Fisheries.     Washington  :     Government  Printing  Office, 
1892,  pp.  1-58. 

92.  Reconnaissance  of  the  Streams  and  Lakes  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone National  Park,  Wyoming,   in  the  interests  of  the 
United    States    Fish    Commission.      David    Starr    Jordan. 
Bulletin  United  States  Fish   Commission,  vol.  ix,  pp.  41-63. 
Washington  :     Government  Printing  Office.     1890. 

93.  Reconnaissance  for  a  Wagon   Road   to   the  National 
Park.     Gov.  John  W.  Hoyt,  of  Wyoming.     In  Annual  Re- 
port of  Secretary  of  the  Interior,   1881.     Vol.  ii,  p.   1074. 
Washington  :     Government  Printing  Office.     1881. 

94.  Reconnaissance  of   the   Yellowstone   River   in    1871. 
Captains  Barlow  and   Heap,  of  the  United  States  Corps  of 
Engineers.     Sen.  Ex.  Doc.  No.  66,  42d  Cong.,  2d  Sess. 

95.  Report    upon   United    States    Geographical    Surveys 
West  of  the  One  Hundredth  Meridian.     Captain  George  M. 
Wheeler,  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A.     Washington :     Gov- 
ernment Printing  Office.      1889.     Vol.  i  contains  a  memoir 
upon  the  Voyages,  Explorations,  and  Surveys  pertaining  to 
that  portion  of  the  United  States  west  of  the  Mississippi  River 
from  the  year  1500  to  1880,  including  an  epitome  of  a  Memoir 
by  Lieutenant  G.  K.  Warren,  covering  the  period  from  1800 
to  1857. 

96.  Resources  of  Montana  Territory  and  Attractions  of  the 
Y.  N.  P.     R.   E.   Strahorn.     Helena,  Montana  :     Montana 
Legislative  Assembly.     1879. 

Richardson,  James,  131. 
Rilev,  W.  C.,  56. 


376  APPENDIX   E. 

97.  River  of  the  West,  The.  Frances  Fuller  Victor. 
Hartford,  Conn.:  Columbian  Book  Company.  1871.  Pages 
75  and  76  contain  a  description  of  some  of  the  hot  springs 
districts  of  the  Park  as  seen  in  1829. 

99.  Roads  in  the  Y.  N.  P.  Lieutenant  H.  M.  Chitteuden, 
U.  S.  A.  Good  Roads,  vol.  v,  no.  1,  p.  1. 

Roberts,  E.,  3,  146. 

99.  Rocky   Mountain   Region   of   Wyoming  and    Idaho. 
James  Eccles.     Alpine  Journal,  London.     Vol.  ix,  p.  241. 

Rollins,  A.  W.,  111. 
Roosevelt,  Theodore,  2,  30,  61. 
Rutgers,  L.,  17. 
Rutley,  F.,  70. 
Saltus,  J.  S.,  123. 
Sanitarium,  A  Winter,  124. 
Sargent,  C.  S.,  149. 

100.  Scorodite  from  the  Y.  N.  P.     J.  Edward  Whitfield. 
Bulletin  U.  S.  G.  S.,  No.  55.     Washington  :  Government 
Printing  Office.     1889. 

Sears,  C.  B.,  6. 

Secretaries  of  the  Interior,  Annual  Reports  of,  7,  80,  93. 

Sessions,  F.  C.,  147. 

Sheridan,  M.  V.,  66. 

Sheridan,  P.  H.,  32,  34,  64,  66. 

Sherman,  W.  T.,  64. 

Shields,  G.  O.,  18. 

101.  Siliceous  Pebbles  from  the  Geyser  of  the  Yellowstone 
Canon.     A.    P.  Townsend.      American   Chemist,  vol.  iii,  p. 
288. 

Siliceous  Sinter,  Formation  of,  12. 

102.  Soaping    Geysers.      Arnold     Hague.     Science,    vol. 
xiii,  p.  382.     Also  in  Smithsonian  Report  for  1892,  p.  153. 

103.  Soaping    Geysers.      Popular    Science    Monthly,    vol. 
xxxvii,  p.  139. 

104.  Soaping   Geysers.     R.    W.   Raymond.     Transactions 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  377 

of  the   American   Institute   of    Mining   Engineers,    Buffalo 
Meeting,  October,  1888. 
Stanley,  E.  J.,  88. 

105.  Statistics  of  Mines  and   Mining.     Rossiter  W.  Ray- 
mond.    Washington  :    Government   Printing   Office.     1870. 
Page  312  contains  references  to  the  geysers  of  the  Yellow- 
stone. 

106.  Statistics  of  Mines  and  Mining.     Rossiter  W.  Ray- 
mond.    Washington:    Government    Printing  Office.     1872. 
Pages  213-216  contain  a  reference  to  the  geysers  from  the 
pen  of  General  Washburn. 

Strahorn,  R.  E.,  31,  96. 
Strong,  W.  E.,  116. 

107.  Summer's    Outing,    A,    or,   The    Old    Man's   Story. 
Carter   Harrison.     Chicago :    Dibble  Publishing   Company. 
1891. 

Superintendents  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  Annual  Reports  of,  8. 
Tetons,  The  Three,  111. 
Thatcher,  M.,  37. 

108.  Therapeutical  Value  of  the  Springs  in  the  Y.  N.  P. 
Dr.    C.    L.    Heizmann,   U.    S.    A.     Philadelphia.     Medical 
Times,  vol.  vi,  p.  409. 

109.  Thermal  Springs  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  Report  on.     A.  C. 
Peale.     Popular  Science  Monthly,  vol.  xxiii,  p.  515. 

110.  Thirty-seven  Days    of   Peril.      Truman   C.    Evert?. 
Scribner's  Monthly,  vol.  iii,  p.  1. 

111.  Three    Tetous,    The.      Allice    Wellington    Rollins 
Harper's,  vol.  Ixxiv,  p.  869. 

112.  Through  the  Yellowstone  Park  to  Fort  Ouster.     Dr. 
S.  Weir  Mitchell.     Lippincotfs,  vol.  xxvi,  p.  29. 

113.  Through  the  Yellowstone    Park  on  Horseback.     G. 
W.  Wingate.     New  York  :  Orange  Judd.  Co.     1886. 

Tillman,  S.  E.,  41. 
Topping,  E.  S.,  25. 
Townsend,  A.  P.,  101. 


378  APPENDIX    E. 

114.  Transactions    Montana    Historical    Society,    vol.    i. 
Helena,   Montana:  Rocky   Mountain  Publishing   Company. 
1876.     Contains  numerous  references  to  the  Upper  Yellow- 
stone, the    most   important  of  which   is  an    article   entitled 
"  Trip  up  the  South  Snake  River,"  by  Walter  W.  De  Lacy. 

115.  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  America  in  the  years  1808- 
10-11.     John  Bradbury.     Liverpool:   1817. 

Travertine,  Formation  of,  12. 

Trip    up  the   South    Snake   River    in    1863.     Walter  W. 
De  Lacy,  114. 

116.  Trip  to  the  Y.  N.  P.,  iu  July,  August  and  September, 
1875.     Gen.  W.  E.  Strong.     Washington.     1876. 

Trumbull,  Walter,  121,  137. 

117.  Two-Ocean  Pass,  The  So-called.     Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 
Vol.  v,   Bulletins  United    States  Geological  Survey  of  the 
Territories,  p.  223. 

Two-Ocean  Pass,  30,  91,  117. 

118.  Unexplained  Phenomena  of  the  Geyser  Basins  of  the 
Y.  N.  P.     Theodore  B.  Comstock.     Popular  Science  Monthly, 
vol.  xii,  p.  372. 

Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  56. 
United  States  Geological  Survey,  Annual  Reports  of,  9 
to  12. 

119.  Valley  of  the  Upper  Yellowstone.    David  E.  Folsom. 
Western  Monthly,  vol.  iv,  p.  60,  July,  1870.     Reprinted  by 
Mr.  N.  P.  Langford,  with  an  interesting  preface  by  himself. 
St.  Paul,  Minn.     1894. 

Vegetation  of  Hot  Waters,  12. 
Victor,  F.  F.,  97. 

120.  Vigilante   Days  and  Ways.     N.  P.  Langford.     St. 
Paul:    D.    D.    Merrill   &   Co.     1893.     Contains   numerous 
references  to  the  Park. 

Walton,  G.  E.,  75. 
Warren,  G.  K.,  95. 
Washburn,  H.  D.,  106,  137. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  379 

121.  Washburn    Yellowstone   Expedition,   The.      Walter 
Trumbull.     Overland  Monthly,  vol.  vi,  pp.  431,  489. 

122.  Wasp,  The.     Vol.  i,  No.  17,  August  13,  1842.     Con- 
tains the  article  quoted  on  pp.  44-49,  stated  to  have  been  an 
extract   from    an   unpublished  work   entitled   "Life   in   the 
Rocky   Mountains."     Author   unknown.      The    Wasp   was   a 
Mormon  paper,  published  at  Nauvoo,  111. 

Wear,  D.  W.,  8. 

Weed,  W.  H.,  12,  40,  156. 

123.  Week   in    the  Yellowstone,  A.     J.  San  ford   Saltus. 
New  York :  Knickerbocker  Press.     1895.     Printed  for  pri- 
vate circulation. 

Wheeler,  G.  M.,  95. 
Wheeler,  O.  D.,  56,  126. 
Whitfield,  J.  E.,  5,  100. 
Wiley,  W.  W.  andS.  K.,  56. 
Wilson,  8.  A.,  135. 
Wingate,  G.  W.,  113. 
Winser,  H.  J.,  56. 

124.  Winter  Sanitarium  for  the  American  Continent.    Pop- 
ular Science  Monthly,  vol.  xxvii,  p.  290. 

125.  Wonderland   of  America.     Robert   Brown.     In    the 
Countries  of  the   World,  vol.   iv.     London,    Paris,    and   New 
York. 

Wonderland,  American,  The  Black  Hills  and,  20. 
Wonderland,  Rambles  in,  88. 

126.  Wonderland  Series.     O.  D.  Wheeler.     Annual  Pub- 
lication of  Northern   Pacific   Railroad  Company,  describing 
the  country  along  the  line  of  that  railroad.     These  books  ;ill 
contain  valuable  articles  on  the  Park.     They  include  "  6,000 
Miles  through  Wonderland,"  1893,  "  Indianland  and  Won 
derland,"  1894,  and  "  Sketches  of  Wonderland,"  1895. 

127.  Wonders  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.     The  Y.  N.  P. 
How  to  reach  it.     F.  V.  Haydeu.     In  Williams'  Illustrated 


380  APPENDIX    E. 

Guide  to  the  Pacific  Railroad,   California,   etc.     New  York. 
1876. 

128.  Wonders  of  the  West.     More  about  the  Yellowstone. 
F.  V.  Hayden.     Scribner's  Monthly,  vol.  iii,  No.  4,  p.  388. 

129.  Wonders  of  the  Yellowstone,  The.     N.  P.  Langford. 
Scribner's  Monthly,  vol.  ii,  pp.  1,  113. 

130.  Wonders  of  the  Yellowstone,  The.     Rossiter  W.  Ray- 
mond.   In  his  Camp  and  Cabin.    New  York  :  Fords,  Howard 
&  Hulburt.     1880. 

131.  Wonders  of  the  Yellowstone,  The.     James  Richard- 
son.    New  York:  Scribner,  Armstrong  &  Co.     1872. 

132.  Wonders  of  the   Yellowstone,    The.     De    Vallibus. 
Contributor,  Salt  Lake  City,  vol.  v,  pp.  5,  47,  86. 

133.  Wonders  of  the  Yellowstone  Region.     Chambers' Jour- 
nal, vol.  li,  p.  315. 

134.  World's  Geyser  Regions,  The.     A.  C.  Peale.     Popu- 
lar Science  Monthly,  vol.  xxvii,  p.  494. 

Wright,  G.  M.,  156. 
Yellowstone,  Chronicles  of  the,  25. 
Yellowstone  Expedition,  121. 

135.  Yellowstone   Expedition   of    1863.     S.    A.    Wilson. 
Magazine  Western  History,  vol.  xiii,  pp.  448,  668. 

136.  Yellowstone  Expedition  of  1870,  Report  upon.    Lieu- 
tenant  Gustavus  C.   Doane.     Sen.  Ex.  Doc.  No.  51,  41st 
Cong.,  3d  Sess. 

137.  Yellowstone  Expedition  of  1870.     A  Series  of  Arti- 
cles in  Montana  Papers,  describing  the  Expedition.     These 
consisted  of  articles  by  Mr.  Langford  in  the  Selena  Herald; 
"Notes"  by  General  Washburn  in   the  same  paper;  a  series 
of  articles,  including  "  Sulphur  Mountain  and  Mud  Volcano," 
"Hell-broth  Springs,"  "Yellowstone  Lake,"  "  Mt.  Everts," 
and  others,  by  Mr.  Hedges,  published  in  the  Herald;  and  a 
similar  series   in   the  Helena  Gazette   by  Walter  Trumbull. 
These  articles  appeared  between  September  26,  1870,  imme- 
diately after  the  return  of  the  Expedition,  and   November 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,    ETC.  381 

12th,  the  date  of  the  banquet  given  to  Mr.  Everts  after  his 
miraculous  escape  from  his  terrible  adventure. 

Yellowstone,  Expedition  to  the,  33. 

Yellowstone,  Exploration  of  the,  35. 

Yellowstone,  Falls  of  the,  36,  37. 

Yellowstone,  Fossil  Forests  of  the,  39,  40,  41,  42. 

Yellowstone,  Geysers  and  Hot  Springs  of  the,  3,  31,  48, 
49,  59,  60. 

Yellowstone,  Gold  Hunt  on  the,  52. 

Yellowstone,  Indian  Remains  on  the,  63. 

Yellowstone  Lake,  Overhead  Sounds  in  the  Vicinity  of, 
13,  85. 

Yellowstone,  Marvels  of  the,  69. 

138.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     Scribner's  Monthly,  voL 
iv,  p.  120. 

139.  Yellowstone   National    Park.     Manhattan   Illustrated 
Monthly,  vol.  iv,  No.  2,  p.  129,  August,  1884. 

140.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     F.  V.  Hayden.     Amer- 
ican Journal  of  Science,  vol.  ciii,  p.  294. 

141.  Yellowstone   National   Park.      Theo.    B.    Comstock. 
American  Naturalist,  vol.  viii,  pp.  65,  155. 

142.  Yellowstone   National   Park.     Charles    F.    Driscoll. 
American  Architect,  vol.  xiii,  p.  130. 

143.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     E.  Fraukland.     Popu- 
lar Science  Monthly,  vol.  xxvii,  p.  289. 

144.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     Peter  Koch.     Magazine 
American  History,  vol.  xi,  p.  497. 

145.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     E.  D.  Cope.     American 
Naturalist,  vol.  xix,  p.  1017. 

146.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     E.  Roberts.     Art  Jour- 
nal, vol.  xl,  pp.  193,  325. 

147.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     F.  C.  Sessions.     Maga- 
zine Western  History,  vol.  vi,  p.  433. 

148.  Yellowstone  National  Park.    A.  B.  Guptill.     Outing,. 
vol.  xvi,  p.  256. 


382  APPENDIX    E. 

149.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     C.  G.  Sargent.     Garden 
and  Forest,  vol.  vii,  p.  131. 

150.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     D.  S.  Jordan.     Around 
the  World,  vol.  i,  p.  148. 

151.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     (Anon.)     Nature,  vol. 
v,  p.  403 ;  vi,  pp.  397,  437. 

152.  Yellowstone   National    Park.     G.    P.    Brockett.     In 
Our  Western  Empire,  chap.  xxii.     Philadelphia,  1881. 

153.  Yellowstone  National  Park.     Robert  P.  Porter,  Henry 
Gannett,  and  W.  P.  Jones.     In   The  West  from  the  Census  of 
1880.     Chicago :     Rand,  McNally  &  Co.     1882. 

154.  Yellowstone   National  Park.     Arnold   Hague.     Ex- 
tract from  the  proceedings  of  the  Fifth  Session  of  the  Inter- 
national Congress  of  Geologists.     Washington,  1891. 

155.  Yellowstone   National  Park.     J.  K.    Peck.     In   his 
Seven  Wonders  of  the  World.     New  York  :     Hunt  and  Eaton, 
p.  71. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Analyses  of  Waters  of,  5. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Aquatic  Invertebrate  Fauna 
of,  13. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Attractions  of,  16,  96. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Autumn  in,  17. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Camping  in,  24. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Cooke  City  versus,  28. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Expeditions  to  or  through, 
32,  34. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  First  Bicycle  Tour  of,  19. 

156.  Yellowstone  National  Park  Folio.      (In  preparation.) 
A  publication  by  the  United  States   Geological  Survey,  con- 
sisting of  four  geological  and  four  topographical  maps;  a  de- 
scriptive text  by  Prof.  Arnold  Hague,  of  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey ;  and  a  geological  text  by  Prof.  Hague  as 
Geologist  in  Charge,  assisted  by  Messrs.  J.  P.   Iddings,  W. 
H.  Weed,  and  G.  M.  Wright.     It  is  understood  that  this  Folio 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,   ETC.  383 

is  presently  to  be  followed  by  an  exhaustive  Monograph  upon 
the  Park. 

157.  Yellowstone  Natioual  Park  as  a  Forest  Reservation. 
Arnold  Hague.     Nation,  vol.  xlvi,  p.  9. 

158.  Yellowstone  National  Park  Game   Exploration.     E. 
Hough.    Under  the  above  title  a  series,  of  thirteen  articles  ap- 
peared in  Forest  and  Stream  in  the  summer  of  1894,  the  first 
article  appearing  in  the  issue  of  May  5,  and  the  last  in  that  of 
August  25  of  that  year.     These  articles  are  of  great  interest 
and  value  as  forming  probably  the  most  complete  discussion  of 
the  game  question  in  the  Park  that  has  yet  appeared.     Their 
descriptions  of  snow-shoe  traveling  and  of  the  winter  scenery 
of  that  region  are  well  worthy  of  perusal.     The  graphic  nar- 
rative of  the  arrest  of  the  poacher,  Ho  well,  is  an  important 
feature. 

Yellowstone  National  Park  as  a  Game  Preserve,  2. 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  Geological  Chemistry  of,  27. 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  Geological  History  of,  43. 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  Glacial  Phenomena  in,  51. 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  Guide  Books  of,  56. 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  Horseback  Rides  through,  58. 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  Hot  Springs  and  Geysers  of  3 
31,  48,  49,  59,  60. 

Yellowstone  National  Park.     How  to  reach  it,  127. 

159.  Yellowstone  National  Park  from  the  Hurricane  Deck 
of  a  Cayuse ;  or,  The  Liederkranz  Expedition  to  Geyserland. 
W.  H.  Dudley.     Butte  City,  Montana.     1886. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Journey  through,  66. 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  Map  of,  68. 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  Mineral  Waters  of,  76. 

160.  Yellowstone  National  Park  and  the  Mountain  Regions 
of  Portions  of  Idaho,  Nevada,  Colorado,  and  Utah.     F.  V. 
Hayden.     Boston.     1876.     Large  folio. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Obsidian  in,  82. 

161.  Yellowstone  National  Park,  Past,  Present,  and  Future. 


384  APPENDIX   E. 

Facts  for  the  Consideration  of  the  Committee  on  Territories  for 
1891,  and  Future  Committees.  G.  L.  Henderson.  Wash- 
ington :  Gibson  Brothers.  1891. 

162.  Yellowstone  National  Park  in  Photogravure.  F.  J. 
Haynes.  Fargo,  North  Dakota.  1887. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Protection  in,  61. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Protective  Act,  61. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Reconnaissance  to,  89,  90. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Reconnaissance  of  Streams  and 
Lakes  of,  91,  92. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Reconnaissance  for  a  Wagon 
Road  to,  93. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Roads  in,  98. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Scorodite  in,  100. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Therapeutical  Value  of  Springs 
of,  108. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Thermal  Springs  of,  109. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Through  the,  to  Fort  Custer, 
112. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Through  the,  on  Horseback, 
113. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  A  Trip  to,  116. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  Unexplained  Phenomena  of, 
118. 

Yellowstone  River,  Reconnaissance  of,  94. 

Yellowstone,  Valley  of  the  Upper,  119. 

Yellowstone,  A  Week  in  the,  123. 

Yellowstone,  Wonders  of  the,  129,  130,  131,  132,  133. 


INDEX. 


Appendices  A  and  E  being  carefully  arranged  alphabetically,  names  found  in 
them  are  not  included  in  this  index  unless  they  also  occur  in  the  main  body 
of  the  work.  The  few  abbreviations  used  are  self-explanatory.] 


Absaroka,  Indian  name  for  Crow  Tribe,  8. 
Absaroka  Range,  name  considered,  289. 

described,  152,  240, 

first  ascent  of,  80,  295. 

first  crossed,  104. 

profile  of  human  face  in,  243. 
Act  of  Dedication  becomes  a  law,  95. 

comments  upon,  96,  97. 

history  of,  92-5. 

provisions  of,  127. 

text  of,  345. 

vote  ou,  95. 

Act  of  1883,  Military  Assistance  in  pro- 
tecting Park,  134,  347. 
Act  of  1890,  admitting  Wyoming,  347. 
Act  of   1894,  National  Park    Protective 

Act,  141,  145,  348. 

Act  of  1894,  regulating  leases,  141,  352. 
Adirondacks,  proposal   for  reservation 

in,  97. 

Administration  of  the  Park,  206-8. 
Administrative  History  of  the  Y.  N.  P., 

127-141. 
Adverse  reports   on   railroad   projects, 

etc.,  141. 
Africa,  preserve  for  big  game  in,  97. 

thermal  springs  of,  161. 
Alder  Gulch,  discovery  of  gold  in.  66. 
Algonquian  family  ol  Indians,  8. 

territory,  37. 

Altitudes  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  154. 
AiVarez,  Spanish  trader,  46,  49. 
American     Fur     Company,     historical 

sketch  of,  34-5,  38. 
American  Fur  Company,    territory   of, 

35,  37. 
Amethyst  Mountain,  26.3. 


Anderson,  Captain  G.  S.,  eighth  superin- 
tendent Y.  N.  P.,  139. 

plans  capture  of  Howell,  143. 

quoted.  273,  276. 

Andesitic  lava  flows  in  Y.  N.  P.,  157. 
"Annie,"  first  boat  on  Y.  Lake,  336. 
Antelope,  habitat  of,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  216. 
Apollinaris  Spring,  217. 
Appropriations  for  the  Y.  N.  P.,  357. 
Area  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  148. 
Arnold,  A.  J.,  member  of  Helena  tourist 

party,  112, 120. 
Arsenic  Geyser,  220. 
Artemesia  Geyser,  228. 
Arthur,  Chester  A.,  visits  Y.  N.  P.,  107, 

371. 

Assistant  Superintendents,  Y.  N.  P.,  135. 
Astor,  John  Jacob,  and  the  American 

fur  trade,  34. 
Astorians,  The,  21,  23. 

departure  of,  for  Pacific  coast,  31. 

surrender  to  N.  W.  Fur  Co.,  33. 
Astringent  Creek,  143. 
Atlantic  Creek,  246. 
Atmosphere  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  199,  210. 
Australia,  thermal  springs  of,  161. 
Autumn  foliage  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  192. 

Baird,  S.  F.,  presents  Lieutenant  Doane's 
report  to  Phil.  Soc.  of  Washington,  83. 
Bannock  Indians,  8, 10. 
incursion  of,  into  Y.  N.  P.,  126,  215. 
territory  of,  10. 
Bannock  Peak,  217. 
Bannock  Trail,  17,  24,  43. 
Baring-Gould's  theory  of  geyser  action, 
166. 

1385) 


386 


INDEX. 


Barlow,  Captain  J.  \V.,   expedition  of, 
85-6,  291. 

quoted,  6,  231,  344. 

report  of,  86. 

Baronett,  C.  J.,  biographical  sketch,  292. 
Baronett's  Bridge  burned,  124. 

history  of,  261. 

Basaltic  lava  flows  in  Y.  N.  P.,  157. 
Bath  Lake,  214. 
Battle  of  trappers  and  Indians  near  Y. 

Lake,  49. 

Battle  of  the  Big  Hole,  116. 
Bays  of  the  Y.  Lake,  335. 
Bears  and  tourists,  184. 
Bear  Creek,  70. 
Beaver  Lake,  219. 
Bechler  River,  151. 
Bee  Hive  Geyser,  234. 
Belknap,  W.  \V.,  visits  Y.  N.  P.,  105. 
Beryl  Spring,  221. 
Bibliography  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  361. 
Biddle    Lake,  first   name    for   Jackson 

Lake,  331. 

Big  Game  Ridge,  153. 
Big  Hole,  Battle  of  the,  116. 
Bighorn  River,  Lisa's  fort  on,  29,  31. 

source  of,  188. 

Big  Thunder,  Nez  Percfe  chief,  113. 
Birds  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  185. 
Biscuit  Basin,  228. 
Blackfeet  Indians,  8,  9. 

territory  of,  8,  9, 18. 

treaties  with,  18, 19. 
Black  Growler,  175,  220. 
Black  Sand  Basin,  230. 
Elaine,   J.   G.,  introduces  Langford   at 
Washington  lecture,  84. 

signs  Act  of  Dedication,  346. 
Block  house,  ancient,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  41. 
Boat,  first  on  Y.  Lake,  337. 
Boat  ride  on  Y.  Lake,  243. 
Boiling  River,  212. 
Boiling  Springs  in  Y.  N.  P.,  174. 
Bonneville,  Captain,  37. 

refers  to  Firehole  River,  49,  316. 
Bottler's  Ranch,  120. 
Boundaries  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  148,  278-280, 

333. 

Boutelle,  Captain  F.  A.,  Seventh  Super- 
intendent of  the  Park,  139. 
Bradbury,  John,  3,  21. 


Bradbury,  John,  interviews  Colter,  28. 

Bradley,  F.  H.,  quoted,  321,  331,  332,  333. 

Bridge,  Baronett.    See  Baronett's  Bridge. 

Bridge  Creek.  244. 

Bridge,  Natural,  244. 

Bridge  over  the  Y.  River,  203 

Bridger,  James,  ability  of  as  guide,  328. 

biographical  sketch,  327. 

acquaintance  of   with  Park  country, 
51,  52,  61. 

disbelieved  by  the  public,  53,  57. 

guide  to  Captain  Reynolds,  59. 

his  stories,  54-56. 

partner  in  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Com- 
pany, 36. 

and  Two-Ocean  Pass,  61,  245. 
British  Fur  Companies,  strife  between, 

34. 
British  Fur  Traders  excluded  from  U.  S. 

Territory,  34. 
Bronze  Geyser,  240. 
Buffalo  Of  Y.  N.  P.,  143,  184. 
Buildings  at  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  209, 

216. 

Buildings  in  Y.  N.  P.  in  1880, 132 
Bnnsen  Peak,  215. 

Bunsen's  theory  of  geyser  action,  163-5. 
Burgess,  Felix,  government  scout,  110. 

arrests  Howell,  143,  144. 
"  Burning  Mountains,"  13,  16. 

Cache  Creek,  name  of,  70. 

Calcareous  Springs  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  173. 

California,  discovery  of  gold  in,  39, 100. 

Camas  Creek,  Battle  of,  116. 

Camping  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  205. 

Canadian  National  Park,  97. 

Canadian  Niagara  Park,  97. 

Cafion  Hotel,  253. 

Capes  of  the  Y.  Lake,  336. 

Carpenter,  Frank  and  Ida,  members  of 

Radersburg  tourist  party,  112. 
experiences  of,  with  Nez  Perc6s,  117-19. 
Carpenter,  R.  E.,  Fourth  Superintendent 

Y.  N.  P.,  136. 

removed  from  office.  136. 
Cascade  Creek,  180,  253. 
Castle  Geyser,  167, 230. 
Cathedral  Rock,  215. 
Catlin,  George,  biographical  sketch  of, 

87-8. 


INDEX. 


Catlin,  George,  Indian  Gallery  of,  88. 
originates  Park  idea,  89. 
quoted,  88-9 
Chittenden,  Lieutenant,  H.  M.,  measures 

height  of  Upper  Fall,  326. 
Chouteau,  Valle  &  Co.  buy  out  Astor,  35. 
Clagett    W.  H.,  his  work  for  Park  bill, 

92.  94. 
Claimants  for  credit  of  originating  Park 

idea,  90. 

Clark's  Fork  Mining  District,  264. 
Clark,  Wm.,  gives  names  to  Y.  Lake  and 

Jackson  Lake,  24. 
mentioned,  5,  21,  22. 
receives  information  from  Colter,  27, 

31. 

Cleopatra  Spring,  214. 
Climate  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  189, 198. 
Coast  and   Geodetic  Survey,  monument 

of,  near  Y.  Lake,  248. 
Cold-water  geyser,  48. 
Cole,  Senator,  remarks  of,  on  Park  bill, 

94. 

Colfax,  Schuyler,  signs  Act   of   Dedica- 
tion, 346. 
Color  of  rock  in  Grand  Cafion,  253. 

water  in  Hot  Springs,  172,  213. 
Colter,    John,    adventure   of,   with    the 

Blackfeet,  28-31. 
character  of,  21. 

declines  to  join  the  Astorians,  31. 
discovers  Grand  Caflon  of  the  Y.  27. 
discovers  Jackson  Lake,  24. 
discovers  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  26. 
discovers  Tar  Spring  on  the  Stinking- 
water,  23 

discovers  Y.  Lake,  24,  27. 
gives  Clark  information,  31. 
marries,  31. 
receives  discharge    from    Lewis    and 

Clark,  20. 

returns  to  St.  Louis,  31. 
whereabouts  of,  in  winter  of  1806-7,  22. 
"Colter's  Hell, "28,  31. 
."Colter's  River,"  26. 
"  Colter's  Route  in  1807,"  25-7. 
Comet  Geyser,  230. 
Commission  to  examine  into  grievances 

of  Nez  Perce  Indians,  114, 115. 
Comsiock,    T.    B.,   member  of  Captain 
Jones'  party  in  1873, 105. 


Comstock,  T.   B.,  his  theory  of  geyser 

action,  166. 
quoted  342,  343,  344. 
Conant  Creek,  trail  along,  12,  24. 

Cone  Geysers,  167. 
Conger,  P.  H.    Third  Superintendent  of 

Y.  N.  P.,  131. 
resigns,  136. 
Congress  abolishes  civilian  police  force 

in  Park,  137. 
Congress  Geyser,  220. 
Congressional  Reports  on  Y.  N.  P.,  141. 
Constant  Geyser,  220. 
Continental  Divide,  151,  238. 
Cook,  C.  W.,  Member  of  Folsom  Party  in 

1869,  73. 

Cooke  City,  264. 

"  Corduroying  "  on  snow-shoes,  195. 
Cost  of  visiting  Y.  N.  P.,  274. 
Cowan,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geoge  F.,  members 

Radersburg  tourist  party,  112. 
experiences  of,  with  Nez  Perces,  118- 

120. 

revisit  Park,  120. 
Craig  Pass,  238,  338. 
Cretaceous  Period  in  Y.  N.  P.  156. 
Crevice  Creek,  71. 

Crook,  General  George,  visits  Park,  106. 
Crosby,   Schuyler,  appeals  to  Congress 

for  protection  to  Y.  N.  P.,  133. 
member  of  presidential  party,  1883, 107. 
Crow  Indians,  territory  of,  8, 18. 
treaties  with,  18, 19. 
tribal  characteristics,  8. 
Crystal  Falls,  80,  253. 
Cubs,  The,  232. 
Cupid's  Cave,  214. 

Danger  to  future  existence  of  Y.  N.  P.,281. 
Dawes,  Hon.  H.  U,94,  336. 
Dawes,  Miss  Anna  L.,  336. 
Death  Gulch,  264. 
De  Lacy  Creek,  239. 
De  Lacy,  W.  W.,  discovers  Lower  Geyser 

Basin,  68. 

discovers  Shoshone  Lake,  68. 
history  of  his  expedition,  67-69. 
Deluge  Geyser,  243. 
Denudation  and  erosion,  work  of,  in  Y. 

N.  P.,  158. 

"Devil,"  frequency  of  name  in  Y.  N.  P.,. 
287,388. 


388 


INDEX. 


Devil's  Kitchen,  214. 

Diamond,  The,  Bridger's  story  of,  35. 

Dietrich,  Richard,    member   of   Helena 

tourist  party,  lit. 
killed  by  Nez  Perces,  122. 
Dingee,    William,    member   of    Helena 

tourist  party,  112. 
Discovery  of  gold,  65,  66. 
Discovery  of  the  Y.,  72. 

long  delay  in,  101. 
Dgane,  Lieutenant  G.  C.,  ascends  Absa- 

roka  Range,  80,  295. 
biographical  sketch,  294. 
commands  escort  to  Washburn  Expe- 
dition, 14,  76. 

descends  Grand  Cafion,  80. 
guide  to  General  Bel  knap  105., 
measures  height  of  Upper  Falls,  325. 
quoted,  6, 14,  78,  175,  235, 237, 254, 261,  297, 

325,343. 
report  of,  upon  Washburn  Expedition, 

83. 

Dome,  The,  217. 
Drainage  areas  of  Y  N.  P.,  149. 
"Dreamers  "  among  the  Nez  Perces,  114. 
Du  Charne,  Baptiste,  upon  the  Upper  Y. 

in  1824,  41. 
Duncan,  L.,  member  of  Helena  tourist 

party,  1877,  111. 

Dunnell,  M.  H.,  and  Park  bill,  93. 
Dunraven,  Earl  of,  9. 
publishes  "Great  Divide,"  295. 
quoted,  96. 
visits  Y.  N.  P.,  295. 

Early  knowledge  of  the  Y.,50,  60. 

East  Gardiner  Cafion  and  Falls,  215. 

Echinus  Geyser,  220. 

Elephant  Back,  original  name  for  Wash- 
burn  Range,  152,  296. 

Electric  Peak,  152,  215. 

Electric  railways  in  Y.  N.  P.,  204,  276,277, 
280.365. 

Elk  in  Y.  N.  P.,  184.  280. 

Elliott,  H.  W.,  336,  337. 

Emerald    Pool   (Norris    Geyser  Basin), 

220. 
(Upper  Geyser  Basin),  230. 

Equipment  for  snow-shoe  traveling,  195. 

Erosion,  work  of,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  158. 


Eustis  Lake,  first  name    for   Y.    Lake, 
335. 

Eustis,  William,  334. 

Evermann,  B.  \V.,  describes  Two-Ocean 
Pass,  245. 

Everts,  Mt.,  153,  215,  216. 

Everts,  T.  C.,  experience  of,  in  1870, 81,297. 
member  of  Washburu  Party,  76. 

Excelsior  Geyser,  220. 

Expedition  of  1869.     See  Folsom  Expedi- 
tion. 
of  1870.    See  Washburn  Expedition. 

Explorations  by  U.  S.  Government,  rela- 
tion of  to  Y.  N.  P.,  100. 

Explorers,  rush  of,  to  Y.  N.  P.,  103. 

Face,  profile  of  in  Absaroka  Range,  293. 
Fairy  Fall,  226. 
Falls  River,  151. 

Basin,  154. 

Falls  of  the  Yellowstone  described,  251, 
254. 

measurement  of,  80, 105, 325-6. 

not  on  Colter's  map,  27. 
Fan  Geyser,  229. 
Fauna  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  181. 
Fearless  Geyser,  220. 
Firehole  Cascade,  222. 

Spring,  225. 

River,  43, 150. 
Fish  Commission  U.  S.,  work  of,  in  Y.  N. 

P.,  186. 

Fishes  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  185,  186. 
Fishing  Cone,  story  of,  56. 
Fishing  Cone,  west  shore  Y.  Lake,  242. 
Fishless  streams  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  186. 
Flora  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  187. 
Flow  of  water  from  Y.  N.  P.,  190. 
Flowers  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  190. 
Foller,  August,  member  of  Helena  tour- 
ist party,  112. 
Folsom,  D.  E.,73. 

article  by,  in  Western  Monthly,  74. 

measures  Falls  of  the  Y.,  325. 

quoted,  160,  241,256. 

suggests  Park  idea,  91. 
Folsom  Expedition,  72-4. 
Forbes,  S.  A.,  quoted.  246. 
Ford  of  the  Y.  River  at  Mud  Geyser,  26, 
249. 

at  Tower  Creek,  261. 


INDEX. 


389 


Forest  and  Stream,  145,  281,  383. 
Forest  Reserve,  148. 

Forests  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  economic  value 
of,  188. 

effect  of  railroads  upon,  272. 

extent  of,  187. 

preservation  of,  207. 
Formations  about  geysers,  169. 
Fort  Yellowstone,  208,  216. 
Fossil  Forests  of  the  Y.,  177-180,  263 
Fountain  Geyser,  167, 223. 
Fountain  geysers,  167. 
Fountain  Hotel,  223. 
"  Free  trappers,"  37. 
French  name  for  Y.  River,  2,  7. 
French  and  Indian  War,  4. 
Friends  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  281. 
Frying  Pan,  219. 

Funds  for  the  Y.  N.  P.;  lack  of,  128. 
Fur   companies,    growth    and    history, 
32-36. 

territory  controlled  by,  37. 
Fur  trade,  climax  in,  32,  39. 

competition  in,  38. 

decline  of,  39,  100. 

in  its  relation  to  western  exploration, 
32,  99,  100. 

Gallatin  Range,  152. 
Gal  latin  River,  26,150. 
Game  preserve,  the  Y,  N.  P.  as  a,  181. 
Game  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  destruction  of, 
183. 

killing  of,  prohibited,  134. 

present  condition  of,  184,  383. 

protection  of,  181,  207. 

tourists  and,  184. 
Gandy,    Captain    C.    M.,    photographic 

work  of,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  vii. 
Gannett,   Henry,   measures    heights    of 
Falls,  326. 

quoted,  293,  295,  296. 
Gardiner's  Hole,  317. 
Gardiner  River,  150,  212. 

early  known  to  trappers,  43,  318. 
Geographical  names,  importance  of,  285. 

policy  of  the  U.  S.  G.  S.  in  regard  to, 
286. 

in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  108,  285-6. 
Geologic  activity  diminishing,  159. 
Geology  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  156-16L 


Geyser  action,  theories  concerning,  163-6. 
"Geyser,"  etymology  of,  162. 
Geyser  regions  of  the  world,  160-161. 
Geysers,  description  of,  162. 

formations  about,  169. 

Soaping,  165. 

underground  connection,  169. 

water  supply  for,  169. 
Giant  Geyser,  167, 230. 
Giantess  Geyser,  167,  232. 
"Giant's  Face, "244. 
Gibbon  Cafion,  221. 
Gibbon  Falls,  222. 
Gibbon,  John,  104. 

battle  of,  with  Nez  Perces,  116. 
Gibbon  Meadows,  221. 
Gibbon  Paintpots,  221. 
Gibbon  River,  104,  150,  221. 
Gillette,  W.   C.,   member  of   Washburn 

Party,  76. 

Glacial  Epoch  in  Y.  N.  P.,  158. 
Glaciers,  channels  of,  158. 
Glass  Mountain,  Bridger's  story,  54. 
Gold,  discovery  ef,  65. 

in  California,  39,  100. 

in  Idaho,  65. 

in  Montana,  65,  66. 

in  the  Nez  Perce  Reservation,  113. 
Golden  Gate,  215. 

Gold-seekers  on  the  Yellowstone,  101. 
Government  officials  and  protection  of 

Y.  N.  P.,  282. 

Grand  Cafion  of   the  Y.,  colors   in,  6, 
254. 

Colter  discovers  the,  27. 

description  of,  253-8. 

in  winter,  257. 
Grand  Geyser,  167,  231. 
Grand  Teton,  153. 

ascent  of,  222,  309. 

granite  blocks  near  summit,   12,   222, 
223. 

name  considered,  323. 
Granite  Block  near  Grand  Cafion,  258. 
Granite  Blocks  near  summit  of  Grand 

Teton,  12,  222,  223. 

Grant,  U  S.,  signs  Act  of  Dedication,  346. 
Gray  Peak,  217. 
Great  Bend  of  the  Y.,  6,  43. 
Great  Fountain  Geyser,  167,  224. 
Green  River,  188. 


390 


INDEX. 


Grinnell,  G.  B.,  105. 
Grotto  Geyser,  229. 
Grotto  Spring,  249. 
Gunnison,  Captain  J.  W.,  and  James 

Bridger,  52. 
quoted,  52,  329. 

Hague,  Arnold,  quoted,  160,  182,  286,  290, 

306,  321. 
referred  to,  245,  322. 

Hancock,  Gen.  W.  S.,  76,  300. 
Harris,  Captain  Moses,  quoted,  284. 

Sixth  Superintendent  Y  N.  P.,  138. 
Hart  Lake,  151,  242 

Geyser  Basin,  243. 
Hauser,  S.  T.,  descends  Grand  Cafion,80. 

member  of  Washburn  Party,  76. 
Hayden  and  Barlow  discover  Mammoth 
Hot  Springs,  85. 

route  of,  85,  86. 
Hayden  Expedition  of  1871,  85,  86. 

results,  86. 
Hayden  Expeditions  of    1872   and   1878, 

103. 

Hayden,  F.  V.,  biographical  sketch,  338- 
340. 

connection  of,  with  Park  bill,  86,  92, 
93,  95. 

explorations  of,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  85, 103. 

geologist  to  Captain  Raynolds,  59. 

quoted,  6,  95,  213,  286,  293,  294,  296,  301, 

307,  314,  317,  330,  332,  341. 
referred  to,  245. 

Hayden  Valley,  154,  250. 

Haynes,  F.  J.,  accompanies  Presidential 

party,  107,  371. 

winter  tours  of  Y.  N.  P.,  109. 
work  of,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  vii. 
Health  resort,  Y.  N.  P.  as  a,  199. 
Heap,  Captain  D.  P.,  with  Captain  Bar- 
low, 1871,  85. 

Hedges,  Cornelius,  member  of   Wash- 
burn  Party,  76,  83. 
quoted,  32,  76,  249,  320. 
originates  National  Park  project,  91. 
Helena  Berald,  and  Washburn  Expedi- 
tion, 83. 

Helena  tourists,  1877,  111. 
experiences  of,  with  Nez  Perces,  121, 

122. 
Hell  Roaring  Creek,  71,  287. 


Henry,  Andrew,  fur  trader,  330. 

Henry,  Joseph,  quoted,  89. 

Henry  Lake,  330. 
Howard's  command  at,  116. 

Highland  Plateau,  153. 

Holmes,  Mount,  217. 

Holmes,  \Vm.  H.,  quoted,  306. 

Hoodoo  Region,  265. 

Hostility  to  the  Y.  N.  P.,  vi.,  267-9. 

Hotel  system  of  Y.  N.  P.,  204. 

Hot  Spring,  color  of  water  in,  172,  213. 

Hot  Springs  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  162, 172-5. 

Hot  Springs  and  Geysers,  water  supply 
for,  169. 

Hot  Springs  in  Grand  Cafion,  254. 

Hough,  E.,  connection  of,  with  the  How- 
ell  episode,  145,  383. 
quoted,  258. 

winter  tour  of,  through  Y.  N.  P.,  110, 
145. 

Howard,  General  O.  O.,  and  Nez  Perc6 
campaign,  106, 115, 116,  123. 

"  Howard's  Trail,"  126. 

Howell  the  Poacher,  capture  and  con- 
viction of,  144-6. 

Hoyt,  J.  W.,  expedition  of,  15, 106. 

Hudson's  Bay  Fur  Company,  historical 

sketch  33-5. 
territory  of,  34,  37. 

Hurricane,  The,  220. 

Huston,  George,  crosses  Park  country,  71. 

Iceland,  thermal  springs  of,  161. 
Idaho,  admission  of,  to  Union,  282. 
Indians  and  name  Yellowstone,  3,  7,  16. 

implements  of,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  12. 

knowledge  of,  concerning  the  geyser 
regions,  8,  13-17,  98. 

title  of,  to  Y.  N.  P.,  19. 

traditions  of,  concerning  Y.  N.  P.,  16. 

trails  of,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  11, 12,  13. 

treaties  with,  18,  19. 

tribes  of,  near  Y.  N.  P.,  8. 

visits  of,  to  Park  country,  17. 
Inscription   on   pine   tree   near  Grand 

Cafion,  40,  251. 
Inspiration  Point,  254. 
Invalids  at  Mammoth  Hot    Springs  in 

1871, 200,  212. 

Irving,  Washington,  quotes  Bradbury,  28. 
Isa  Lake,  238. 


INDEX. 


391 


Islands  of  Y.  Lake.  335. 
Itasca  State  Park,  97. 

Jackson,  David,  fur  trader,  36. 
Jackson    Lake,   first    named    by    Wm. 
Clark,  24,  331. 

discovered,  24. 

mentioned,  152,222. 
Jackson,  W.  H.,  photographer  in  Y.  N. 

P.,  vii. 

Jefferson  Fork,  scene  of  Colter's  adven- 
ture, 29. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  1. 
Jewel  Geyser,  228. 
Jones  Creek,  104. 

Jones,    Captain    W.    A.,    discovers   and 
names  Two-Gwo-Tee  Pass,  105. 

discovers  Two-Ocean  Pass,  104,  245. 

expedition  of,  15, 104. 

first  to  cross  Absaroka  Range,  104. 

measures  Y.  Falls,  326. 

names  mountains  east  of  Park,  289. 

quoted,  6. 

Joseph,  Non-treaty  Nez  Perc6  chief,  113, 
126. 

estimate  of  his  character,  301. 
Joseph  Peak,  217. 
Junction  Butte,  261. 
Junction  Valley,  154,  2G3. 
Jupiter  Terrace,  214. 

Kansas  City  Journal,  editor   of,  rejects 

Bridger's  statements,  53. 
Kenck,  Charles,  member  Helena  Tourist 

Party,  112. 

killed  by  Nez  Perces,  122. 
Kepler  Cascade,  237. 
Killing  of  game  in  Y.  N.  P.  prohibited, 

134. 
Kingman,    Lieutenant   D.  C.,   prepares 

project  for  Park  road  system,  140. 
quoted,  271. 
reports  of,  140. 
Kingman  Pass,  215. 

Lake  Shore  Geyser,  242. 
Lake  View,  240. 
Lakes  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  151. 
Lamur  River,  150. 
Caflon  of,  263. 


Langford,  N.  P.,  27,  55. 

advocates  Park  project,  92. 

ascends  Absaroka  Range,  80,  295. 

ascends  Grand  Teton,  222,  309. 

biographical  sketch  of,  302. 

first  Superintendent  Y.  N.  P.  129. 

lectures  on  the  Washburn  Expedition, 
84. 

measures  height  of  Lower  Fall,  325. 

member  of  the  Washburn  Expedition, 
75. 

publishes  articles  on  Washburn  Expe- 
dition, 84. 

quoted,  92,  232,  305,  312,  317. 

reprints  Folsom's  article,  74. 

work  of,  for  Park  Bill,  92-3. 
Laws  for  Y.  N.  P.,  lack  of,  127. 
Leases,  Act  of  1894  regulating,  141,  352. 

of  land  to  Y.  N.  P.  Improvement  Co., 
132. 

and  privileges  in  Y.  N.  P.,  132,  207. 

revenue  from,  128. 
Lewis  and  Clark  among  the  Mandans,  1. 

expedition  of,  101. 

give  Colter  his  discharge,  20. 

and  North-west  Fur  Co.,  traders,  33. 

use  name  "Yellow  Stone,"  1,  2. 

quoted,  20. 

return  journey  of,  20. 

send  report  to  President  Jefferson,  1. 
Lewis  Lake,  151. 

Lewis,  Meriwether,  kills  a  Blackfoot  In- 
dian, 9. 

Lewis  River,  151 . 
Liberty  Cap,  214. 

"  Life  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,"  referred 
to,  44. 

quoted  from,  44,  48. 
Lincoln  Pass,  23. 
Linton,  Edwin,  quoted.  247. 
Lion  Geyser,  232. 
Lioness  Geyser,  232. 
Lisa,    Manuel,   at    mouth    of    Bighorn 

River,  29. 

Locomotive  Spring,  220. 
Lone  Star  Geyser,  167,  237. 
"Lone  Traders, "37. 
Looking  Glass,  Nez  Perce  chief,  113. 
Lookout  Hill,  214. 
Lookout  Point,  254. 


392 


INDEX. 


Louisiana,  cession  of  to  U,  S.,  3. 
Lower  Fall  of  the  Y.,  described,  254. 

recorded  measurements  of,  325-6 
Lower  Geyser  Basin,  223. 
Ludlow,  Captain  William,  explorations 
of,  105. 

measures  Fulls  of  Y.,  105,  326. 

quoted,  209.  253,  297. 

report  of,  105. 

Mackenzie,  theory  of  geyser  action,  166. 

Madison  Lake,  237,  333. 

Madison  Plateau,  153. 

Madison  River,  150. 

Madison  Valley,  154. 

Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  buildings  at,  209, 

216. 

described,  173,  212. 
discovery  of,  26,  85. 

Mandan  Indians,  1,  2,  4. 

Mann,  Charlos,  member  of  Radersburg 
Tourist  party,  112. 

Map  of  Y.  N.  P.,  vii. 

Map,  Raynolds',  63. 

Marten  traps,  discovery  of  cache  of,  41. 

Mason,  Major  J.  W.,  commands  escort  to 
Governor  Hoyt,  106. 

Maynadier,   Lieutenant,  commands  de- 
tachment of  Raynolds  Party,  59,  60. 
quoted,  62. 

McCartney,  C.  J.,  attacked  by  NezPerces, 
123. 

McCartney  Cave,  214. 

Meek,  Joseph,  adventures  of,  42. 

Members  of  Congress  from  States  near 
Park,  282-3. 

Mexico,  war  with,  39  100. 

Middle  Gardiner  Kails  and  Cafion,  215. 

Midway  Geyser  Basin,  226. 

Mileage  of  Park  Road  System,  202. 

Miles,  General  N".  A.,  intercepts  and  cap- 
tures Nez  I'erces,  124. 

Mineral  Springs  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  thera- 
peutic value  of.  199 

Minerva  Terrace,  214. 

Minnetaree,  Indian  dialect,  7. 

Minute  Man,  220. 

Mirror  Plateau,  153. 

Missouri  Fur  Co.,  29,  35. 

Missouri  Gazette,  extract  from,  21,  23. 

Missouri  River,  1,  4, 150, 188. 


Missouri  River,  fur  trade  along,  35. 
Mi  tsi  a-da-zi,  Indian  name  for  Yellow- 
stone, 7. 

Monarch  Geyser,  220. 
Montana  Territory,  becomes  a  state,  288. 

early  explorations  in,  3. 

emigration  to,  66. 

population  of,  in  1862,  66. 
Monument  Geyser  Basin,  221. 
Monument,  survey,  248. 
Moore,  Charles,  sketches  by,  168. 

records  height  of  Falls,  326. 
Moran,  Thomas,  painting  by,  256. 

quoted,  256. 

Mormon  emigration,  39,  100. 
Morning  Glory,  229. 
Mound,  artificial  in  Y.  N.  P.,  12. 
Mountain  sheep  of  Y.  N.  P.,  216. 
Mountain  stream  of  hot  water,  Bridger's 

story,  55. 

Mountain  Systems  of  the  West,  forma- 
tion of,  156. 

of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  151,  152. 
Mud  Geyser,  Norris  Geyser  Basin,  220. 

Y.  River,  249, 
Mud  Volcano,  248. 
Mystic  Fall,  228. 

Names  of  Hot  Springs  and  Geysers,  287. 
Narrow  Gauge  Terrace,  214. 
National  Park  project,  origin  of,  87-92  . 
National  Park  Protective  Act,  110,  141-5, 

348. 
National  Parks  on  sites  of  battle-fields, 

97. 

Natural  Bridge,  244. 
Navigation  of  Y.  Lake  and  River,  203. 
New  Crater  Geyser,  220. 
New    Yotk  Tribune  quotes  Langford  on 

Park  project.  92. 

New  Zealand,  thermal  springs  of,  97,  161. 
Nez  Perce  Creek,  126,  150,  223. 
Nez  Perce  Indians  attack  Y.  N.  P.  tour- 
ists, 118,  121. 

cede  territory  to  U.  S.,  113. 

characteristics  of,  114. 

fate  of,  126. 

impress  white  man  as  guide,  14. 

incursion  of,  into  Y.  N.  P.,  117-123,  215. 

surrender  to  Miles,  124. 

territory  of,  112. 


INDEX. 


393 


Nez  Perces  Indians,  treaties  with,  113. 
Nez  Perce  War,  beginning  of,  115. 

causes  of,  112, 115. 

criticism  upon,  125. 

statistics  of,  125. 

Niagara  Falls  compared  with  the  Falls 
of  the  Y.,  251,  254. 

original  sketch  of,  168. 
Niagara  Park,  Canadian,  97. 

New  York  State,  97. 
Non-treaty  Nez  Percys,  113. 
Norris,  P.  W.,  biographical  sketch  of,  303. 

builds  road  of  volcanic  glass,  218. 

criticism  of  his  work,  131. 

discoveries  of,  40,  41, 108,  130. 

names  Dnnraven  Peak  after  himself, 
295. 

quoted,  15,  218,  265,  307,  314,  324,  331,  343. 

road  work  of,  130. 

second  Superintendent  Y.  N.  P.,  14, 129, 
130. 

writings  of,  131. 
Norris  Geyser  Basin,  220,  340. 

discovery  of,  340. 

North-west    Fur   Company   and    name 
"  Yellowstone,"  4. 

sketch  of,  33. 

Oblong  Geyser,  230. 
Obsidian  Cliff,  217. 

first  road  past,  218. 

Indian  quarry  at,  12,  217. 
Old  Faithful,  167,  234-6 

discovery  of,  82. 
Oldham,    Albert,    member    Radersburg 

tourist  party,  112. 
"Old  Man  of  the  Mountains,"  244. 
Orange  Geyser,  214. 
Original  sketches  of  Park  scenery,  168, 

169. 
Orographic    gencies,  work  of.    n  Park, 

157. 
Overhead  sounds  near  Y.  Lake,  246. 

Pacific  Creek,  246. 
Pacific  Fur  Co.,  34. 
Paintpots  described,  174 

on  west  shore  Y.  Lake,  242 
Peale,  A.  C..  quoted,  13,  323,  344. 

work  of,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  361,  363. 
Pearl  Geyser,  220. 


Pend  d'Oreilles  Indians  in  geyser  basins, 

14,45. 
Peterson,  W.,  member  of  Folsom  party, 

73. 
Petrifactions  in  Y.  N.  P.,  Bridger's  story, 

56. 

perfection  of,  179. 
Pfister,  Frederick,  member  of    Helena 

tourist  party,  112. 
Phillips,  W.  H.,  connection  of,  with  Y. 

N.  P.,  281. 

Photography  of  Grand  Cafion,  256. 
Pierre  Janne.    See  Roche  Janne. 
Pierre's  Hole,  24. 
Pike,  Z.  M.,  gives  Spanish  translation  of 

Pierre  Janne,  5. 

Pine,  prevalence  of,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  188. 
Pine  tree  inscribed  with  date  1819,  40,  251. 
Pitchstone  Plateau,  153. 
Plateaus  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  153. 
Platte  River,  188. 
Poe,  General  O.  M.,  105. 

quoted,  287. 
Pompey's  Pillar,  5. 
Potts,  companion  of  Colter,  29. 
Precedent,  effect  of,  upon  future  of  Y. 

N.  P  ,  284. 

Presidential  Party  of  1883, 107,  371. 
Prismatic  Lake,  227. 
Private  interests  and  Y.  N.  P.,  280. 
Prospecting  expeditions   in  the  Upper 

Y.,  7,  66-71. 
Prospectors,  unknown,  slain  by  Nez  Per- 

cfis,  121. 

Protection  of  game,  181,  207. 
Protective  Act,  Y.  N.  P.,  110,  141. 
Public  business  in  Y.  N.  P.,  139. 
Pulpit  Terrace,  214. 
Punch  bowl,  230. 
Pryor's  Fork,  22. 
Pryor's  Gap,  23,  24. 

Quadrant  Mountain,  217. 
Quiescent  Springs,  172-3. 

Radersburg  tourist  party,  1877, 112. 
experiences  of,  with  Nez  Percfis,  117- 

120. 
Railroads  and  the  Y.   N.  P.,  133,  270-6, 

280,  365. 
Rapids  of  the  Y.  River,  251. 


394 


INDEX. 


Raymond,  R.  W.,  quoted,  6. 

Raynolds,  Captain  W.  F.,  expedition  of, 

58,  59,  101. 
map  of,  62. 
quoted,  60,  61,62. 
report  of,  63. 

Red  Mountain  Range,  152. 
Rendezvous  in  the  fur  trade,  36. 
Reservoir,  Y.  Lake  as  a,  190. 
Rhyolitic  rocks  in  Y.  K.  P.,  157. 
"  River  of  the  West,"  42. 

quoted  from,  42,  317. 
River  sources  in  and  near  Y.  N.  P.,  188. 
Riverside  Geyser,  229. 
Road  system  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  140,  201-7. 
Roberts,    Joseph,    member    of    Helena 

tourist  party,  112. 
Roche  Janne,  French  name  for  Y.  River, 

2,  3,  7. 
Rocky  Mountains    ascended  by  De   La 

Verendrye,  4. 
Rocky   Mountain  Fur  Company  sketch, 

of,  36,  38. 

territory  of,  36,  37. 
Routes   from   the    east    to    the    Pacific 

Coast,  100. 
Rules  and  Regulations  for  the  Y.  N.  P., 

354. 

Rustic  Falls,  215. 
Rustic  Geyser,  old  logs  around,  13,  243. 

Sapphire  Pool,  228. 

Sawmill  Geyser,  230. 

Scenery  of  the  Y.  N,  P.,  155,  209. 

in  winter,  197. 

Scenic  portion  of  tourist  route,  260. 
Schemes  to  destroy  the  Y.  N.  P.,  268. 
Schofleld,  Lieutenant,  meets  Radersburg 

tourists,  120. 

Schurz,  Carl,  visits  Park,  106. 
Schwatka,  Frederick,  attempts    winter 

journey  through  Y.  N.  P.,  108. 
Seasons  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  193,  199 
Secretary    of   the   Interior   applies    for 

military  aid,  137. 
instruction  of,  to  first  superintendent, 

270. 

Segregation  projects,  133,278,  280,  365. 
Sepulcher  Mountain,  215. 
Sequoia  National  Park,  97. 


Sheepeater  Indians,  8, 18,  306. 

characteristics  of,  10, 11. 

ignorant  of  geyser  regions,  15. 

number  of,  17. 

original  occupants  of   park    country, 
10,  11,  13,  14,  17. 

relics  of,  13. 
Sheridan  Mt.,  15,  152,  242. 

an  extinct  volcano,  156. 
Sheridan,  General  P.  H.,  aids  exploration 
and  discovery,  75. 

gives   public  warning  of    dangers  to 
Park,  106,  133. 

quoted,  15. 

visits  Park,  106, 107. 

Sherman,   General  W.   T.,  quoted,   111, 
256. 

visits  Park,  105. 
Shively,  Nez  Perce  guide,  123. 
Shoshonean  family  of  Indians,  8. 

territory,  37. 
Shoshone  Indians,  8, 18. 

characteristics  of,  9,  10. 

Spanish  articles  among,  5. 

treaty  with,  18. 
Shoshone  Geyser  Basin,  239. 
Shoshone  Lake,  151,  239,  333. 
Shoshone  Point,  239. 
Sierra  Shoshone  Range,  152. 
Silica,  its  function  in  geyser  formation, 

170. 
Siouan  family  of  Indians,  8. 

territory,  37. 

Ski,  Norwegian  snow-shoe,  194. 
Slough  Creek,  71. 
Smith,    Jacob,   member   of    Washburn 

Party,  76. 

Smith,  Jedediah,  fur  trader,  36. 
Snake  Creek,  battle  of,  124. 
Snake  River,  26,  150. 
Snowfall  in  Y.  N.  P.,  193. 
Snow-shoe  traveling  in  Y.  N.  P.,  194, 195. 

196. 

Snowy  Range,  152. 
Soaping  Geysers,  165,  343. 
Soda  Butte,  264. 

Cafion,  264. 

Creek,  150. 
Soda  Spring,  221. 
Solar  eclipse  of  1860,  59. 
South-west  Fur  Co.,  35. 


INDEX. 


395 


Spanish    traders   and    name    "  Yellow- 
stone," 5. 

Specimen  Ridge,  179,  180,  263. 

Spike  Geyser,  243. 

Splendid  Geyser,  230. 

Sponge,  The,  232. 

Spring  Creek  Caflon,  238. 

Spurgin,  Captain  W.  F.,  builds  road  for 
Howard  across  Y.  N.  P.,  124, 126. 

Stage  rides  in  Y.  N.  P.,  277. 

Stanley,  E.  J.,  quoted,  322. 

Stanton,  Captain  W.  S.,  makes  reconnais- 
sance through  Y.  N'  P.,  106. 

Steady  Geyser,  225. 

Steamboat,   first  to  reach  mouth  of  Y. 
River,  87. 

Steamboat  Spring,  175,  244. 

Steam  vents,  175. 

Stevenson,  James,  ascends  Grand  Teton, 

222,  309. 

biographical  sketch,  307-308. 
builds  first  boat  on  Y.  .Lake,  337. 

Stewart,  J.,  member  of  Helena  party  of 
tourists,  112. 

Stickney,  Benj.,  member  of  Washburn 

party,  76. 
descends  to  bottom  of  Grand  Caflon,  80. 

Stinking  Cabin  Creek,  322. 

Stone.    Benj.,  experience  of   with  Nez 

Percys,  123. 
member  Helena  party  of  tourists,  112. 

Stone,    Mrs.  H.  H.,  first  white  woman  to 
visit  Park,  340. 

Streams  of  N.  Y.  P.,  fish  in,  186. 

Strong,  Gen.  W.  E.,  accompanies  Secre- 
tary Belknap  to  Y.  N.  P.,  105. 

Stuart,  James,  65,  70. 

Sturgis, General  S.  D.,  attacks  Nez  Perces, 

124. 
fails  to  intercept  Nez  Perces,  124. 

Sublette  Lake,  early  name  for  Y.  Lake, 
335. 

Sublette,  William,  fur  trader,  36. 

Subterranean  heat,  origin  of,  158. 

Sulphur  Mountain,  249. 
Spring,  250. 

Superintendents  of  the  Park,  duties  of, 

206,  207. 
list  of,  359. 

Swan  Lake,  217. 
Flats,  154. 


Talmage,  T.  DeWitt,  quoted,  253,  257. 

Temperatures  in  Y.  N.  P.,  198. 

Terraces,  formation  of,  173,  212. 

Terrace  Mountain,  215. 

Tertiary  Period  in  Y.  N.  P.,  156. 

Teton,  Grand.     See  Grand  Teton. 

Teton  Pass,  24. 

Teton  Range,  152,  222,  243. 

Therapeutic  value  of  springs  in  Y.  N.  P., 
199. 

Thermal  activity  in  Y.  N.  P.  not  dimin- 
ishing, 160. 

Thermal  springs,  geographical  distribu- 
tion of,  160. 

Third  Canon  of  the  Y.,  266. 

Thompson,  David,  and  name  "  Yellow- 
stone," 1,  2. 
and  source  of  Y.  River,  2. 

Thumb  of  Y.  Lake,  241,  335. 

Topping,  E.  S.,  quoted,  313,  315. 

Tour  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  best  season  for,  210. 

Tourists  and  wild  animals  in  Y.  N.  P., 
184. 

Tourists'  season  in  Y.  N.  P.,  193. 

Tower  Falls,  261. 
discovered,  78. 

Transportation  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  204. 

Trappers  ignorant  of  geyser  regions,  99. 

Treaties  with  Indians,  18, 19. 

Tree  inscribed  with  date  1819,  40,  251. 

Trees  of  Y.  N.  P.,  187. 

Trout  Creek,  serpentine  course  of,  249. 

Trout  in  Y.  Lake,  186. 

Trumbull,   Walter,  member  Washburn 

Party,  76. 

publications  by,  83,  84. 
sketches  by,  169. 

Tukurika,   native  name  for  Sheepeater 
Indians,  S,  10. 

Turban  Geyser,  230. 

Turquoise  Spring,  227. 

Twin  Buttes,  225. 

Twin  Lakes,  219. 

Two-Gwo-Tee  Pass,  105. 

Two-Ocean  Pass,  59, 105,  245.  333. 
crossed  by  fish,  186. 
discovered,  104,  245. 

Tyndall,  John,  quoted,  174. 

Union  Geyser,  167,  ^M. 
Pass,  23,  59. 


396 


INDEX. 


U.  S.    Geological   Survey,  explorations 

under,  103. 
measurements  by,  of  height  of  Falls, 

326. 

names  by,  in  Y.  N.  P.,  286. 
Unknown   visitor  to   geyser  basins    in 

1833,  14,  44. 

Upper  Fall  of  the  Y.,  251. 
Upper  Geyser  Basin,  228. 
discovery  of,  82. 
visited  in  1833,  44. 

Valleys  of  the  Y.  N.  P.,  153. 
Vandalism  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  207. 
Verendrye,    Chevalier   de   la,    explora- 
tions of,  4. 

Vest,  Senator  G.  C.,  connection  of  with 
Y.  N.  P.,  281. 

member  Presidential  party,  1883,  107. 

quoted,  282. 
Virginia  Cascade,  220. 
Visitors  to  Y.  N.  P.  in  1883,  107. 
Vixen  Geyser,  220. 
Volcanic  rocks  in  Y.  N.  P.,  157. 

War  of  Rebellion,  63. 
War  with  Mexico,  100. 
Washburn  Expedition  of  1870,  history  of, 
75-84. 

organization  of,  75-7. 

results  of,  84. 

revives  Park  idea,  90. 
Washburn,  General  H.  D.,  biographical 
sketch,  311. 

chief  of  Washburn  Expedition,  75. 

"notes"  of,  upon  Washburn  Expedi- 
tion, 83. 

quoted,  325. 
Washburn,  Mt.,  152,  260. 

an  extinct  volcano,  156. 
Washburn  Range,  17,  152. 

original  name  of,  152. 

on  Colter's  map,  26. 
Wasp,  The,  48. 

Watchmen  at  Park  hotels  in  winter,  194. 
Water-falls  of  Y.  N.  P.,  151,  324. 
Wear,  D.  W.,  Fifth  Superintendent  Y.  N. 

P.,  137. 

Weed,  W.  H.,  quoted,  264. 
Weikert,  A.  J.,  member  of  Helena  tour- 
ist party,  111. 


Weikert,  A.  J.,  experience  of,  with  Nez 

Perces,  123-6. 

We-Saw,  Shoshone  Indian,  15. 
West  Shore  geyser  basin,  242. 
White  Bird,  Nez  Perc6  chief,  113. 
White  Elephant,  214. 
Wilkie,  Leslie,  member  Helena  tourist 

party,  112. 

Willow  Park,  154,  217. 
Wingate,  G.  W.,  quoted,  190. 
Winter  journeys  through  the  Y.  N.  P., IDS. 
Winter  in  the  Y.  N.  P.,  197, 198. 
Witch  Creek,  243. 
Wyeth,  Nathaniel  J.,  37. 
Wyoming,  admission  of,  to  Union,  282,347. 
Wyoming  Territory  attempts  to  proiect 
'  Park,  134,  135. 

"  Yancey's,"  263. 

"Yellowstone,"  origin  of  name,  1-7. 

Spanish  translation  of,  5,  note. 
Yellowstone,  first  steamboat  at  mouth  of 

Y.  River,  87. 
Yellowstone,  discovery  of  the,  72. 

early  knowledge  of  the,  40,  50,  60. 

fossil  forests  of  the,  177-180,  263. 

gold-seekers  on  the,  101. 

Grand  Cafion  of,  colors  in,  6,  254. 

Third  Cafion  of  the,  266. 

Upper,  prospecting  expeditions  on  the, 
66-71. 

Upper,  why  so  long  unknown,  99, 101.    • 
Yellowstone  Falls,  compared  with  Ni- 
agara, 251,  254. 

Lower,  251,254. 

measurement  of  heights,  80,  325-6 

Upper,  261. 
Yellowstone  Lake,  151,  240,  241. 

bays  of,  333. 

boat  ride  on,  243. 

capes  of,  336. 

compared  with  other  lakes.  241. 

discovered,  24,  27.  80. 

first  boat  on,  337. 

form  of,  240. 

islands  of,  335 . 

monument  on  shore  of,  248. 

names  of,  334. 

navigation  of  '203. 

overhead  sounds  near,  246. 

reservoir  possibilities  of,  190. 


INDEX. 


397 


Yellowstone  Lake,  thumb,  of,  241. 

trout  of,  186. 

Yellowstone  National  Park,  administra- 
tion of,  206. 

administrative  history  of,  127-148. 

altitudes  in,  154. 

area  of,  148. 

Assistant  Superintendents  of,  135. 

atmosphere  of,  210. 

autumn  foliage  of,  192. 

basaltic  lava  flows  in,  157. 

birds,  185. 

boundaries  of,  148,  278-280. 

buffalo  of.  143,  184. 

buildings  of,  in.1880, 132. 

calcareous  springs  of,  173. 

camping  in,  205. 

Climate  of,  189, 198. 

Congressional  Reports  on,  141. 

cost  of  visiting,  274. 

Cretaceous  Period  in,  156. 

danger  to  future  existence  of,  281. 

drainage  areas  of,  149. 

economic  importance  of,  190. 

electric  railways  in,  204,  276-280. 

elk  in,  280 

exploration  of,  103, 108. 

fauna  of,  181. 

fishes  of,  185-6. 

flora  of,  187. 

flow  of  water  from,  190. 

flowers  of,  190. 

forests  of,  187, 188. 

fossil  forests  of,  177-180,  263. 

friends  of,  281. 

funds  for.  128. 

game  in,  134, 181-4.  207. 

geographical  names  in,  108,  285-6. 

geology  of,  156. 

Glacial  Epoch  in,  158. 

healthfulness  of,  199. 

hostility  to,  vi,  267,  269. 

hotel  system  of,  204. 

hot  springs  of,  172-5. 

Indian  knowledge  of.    See  "Indian." 

lakes  of  the,  151. 

laws  for,  127. 

leases  in,  141,  207. 

mineral  springs  of,  199. 

mountain  systems  of,  151-2. 

nature  of  country  in,  16, 17. 


Yellowstone  National  Park,  Nez  Perce 
incursion  into,  117, 123,  215. 

petrifactions  in,  56,  179. 

plateaus  of,  153. 

private  interests  and,  280. 

Protective  Act,  110, 141. 

public  business  in,  139. 

railroads  and.    See  Railroads. 

rhyolitic  rocks  in,  157. 

road  system  of,  201. 

rules  and  regulations  for,  354. 

scenery  of,  155,  197,  209,  260. 

schemes  to  destroy,  268. 

season  for  tour  of,  210. 

seasons  of,  199. 

snow  in,  193. 

snow-shoe  traveling  in,  194-6. 

source  of  great  rivers  near,  188. 

stage  rides  through  the,  277. 

Superintendents  of,  206-7,  359. 

Tertiary  Period  in,  156. 

thermal  springs  of,  161. 

tour  of,  210,  et  seq. 

tourist  transportation  in,  204. 

trees  of,  187. 

valleys  of,  153. 

vandalism  in,  207. 

visitors  to,  in  1883,  107. 

volcanic  rocfcs  in,  157. 

water  falls  of,  324. 

winter  in,  193, 197,  198. 

winter  journeys  through,  108. 
Yellowstone  Park  Association,  140. 
Yellowstone  Park  Improvement  Com- 
pany, 132, 139,  140. 
Yellowstone  River,  149,  250,  256. 

bridge  over,  203. 

color  of  banks,  5,  6. 

flow  of,  150. 

fords,  26, 249,  261. 

Great  Bend  of,  6,  43. 

junction  of,  with  Gardiner,  211. 

navigation  of,  203. 

source  of,  2, 188. 

Yosemite  Wonderland,  90,  94,  97,  253. 
Young  Hopeful,  225. 
Yount  Peak,  source  of  the  Y.  River,  2, 
149. 

Zillah,  The,  tourist  boat  on  Y.  Lake,  336. 


